Sandbox Startups, formerly known as the Entrepreneurs in Residence (EIR) program, is a business incubator based in Hubli, Karnataka, India. Started as an initiative by the Deshpande Foundation in 2008, and later re-branded as its present name in 2014, the organisation seeks to create an ecosystem in the region that supports entrepreneurship while providing the necessary resources needed to turn business ideas into successful ventures. The incubator also offers assistance to startups in smaller tier-2 and tier-3 cities, allowing them to have an equal level of support with startups in larger cities across India.
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History
In August 2014, Microsoft Ventures and the Deshpande Foundation launched the Sandbox Startups incubator with an initiative to set up a 20,000 square feet area for incubation in the city of Hubli. The main intention of this initiative was to ensure that better entrepreneurial support would be given to those who reside outside of big metropolises in India, removing the inevitability of having to relocate to such places.
In December 2014, the organisation announced the opening of applications to its Incubation Program, stating that it would commence the program on March 1, 2015. 30 startups were to be selected at its incubation centres in Hubli and Nizamabad, Telangana
In July 2016, Sandbox Startups inaugurated a new incubation centre in the city of Belgaum, Karnataka. In partnership with the Karnatak Law Society's Institute of Management Education and Research (KLS IMER), the new Sandbox-IMER incubation centre welcomed four new startups into the program. A "Pitch Your Idea Belagavi" event was also scheduled as its first major function in August 2016.
Incubation Program
Sandbox Startups follows a program workflow that spans from applying to the program with a business idea to the eventual goal of growing a venture that an incubatee has created with the support of the program. In between this workflow, startups are given the opportunity to build prototypes, develop their businesses, gain access to mentors, and meet potential investors. Given its record, the incubator supported over 200 ideas while incubating over 50 startups in its lifetime.