Digital Sandbox KC

Jeff Shackelford, Digital Sandbox

KCultivator Q&A: Jeff Shackelford loves livable KC, dreams of mopeds, relaxation in Hawaii

Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The KCultivator Series is sponsored by WeWork Corrigan Station, a modern twist on Kansas City office space. Untapped potential and a community support system unmatched by most metropolitan cities amplify Jeff Shackelford’s ambition and maximize his…

Little Hoots

Pint-sized perspective: KC’s Little Hoots takes nostalgia-capturing tech to MIT

From the cute and comedic to the whimsical and wise, every parent can pinpoint a Little Hoots moment that relates to their personal adventure in child-rearing, said Lacey Ellis, founder and CEO of the Kansas City-birthed mobile app that recently turned heads at MIT. “If a picture is worth a thousand words, a hoot is…

Kim Naramore and Jillian Carlile, TravelHive

Digital Sandbox KC mixes in Carroll’s Irish Bitters, TravelHive, iSocial and Grant Company

After more than five years, Digital Sandbox KC’s proof-of-concept program continues to see a high volume of quality applicants with a wide range of concepts, said Jeff Shackelford. Four startups receiving project funding from Digital Sandbox KC were announced Thursday. Two of those awards are in partnership with Innovation Stockyard in St. Joseph, said Shackelford,…

Anatolij Gelimson, Sara Baker, and Jill Cline, Fast Democracy

Digital Sandbox startup Fast Democracy building non-partisan social database for tracking legislation

Today’s political climate demands not only a better-informed public, but accurate tools to help voters arm themselves with timely information, said Sara Baker, co-founder of Fast Democracy. The Kansas City-based startup — one of four early-stage businesses recently accepted into Digital Sandbox KC — aims to help people “touch their democracy” through its non-partisan web…

Quartet of startups hop into the Digital Sandbox KC

Four early-stage businesses recently entered the Digital Sandbox KC program. The new startups demonstrate the ingenuity Digital Sandbox aims to attract for its grant-funding efforts, said Jeff Shackelford, director of Digital Sandbox KC. “From helping students prepare for college to analyzing voting records to predict legislative outcomes, the startups in the Sandbox are a great…