After MIT Sandbox - SBXi Fund

MIT Sandbox was initially funded through three funding sources: the SDX LLC, corporate sponsors, and a good number of generous philanthropic donors. The Sandbox sponsors include top-tier VCs, corporate leaders, and successful entrepreneurs, providing not only financial support but valuable feedback and advice. The SDX LLC initial partners include Accel, Danaher, General Catalysts, GETTYLAB, Pillar, Polaris Partners, and Tata. After the initial funding from Sandbox, many students communicated that they needed critical financial funding post-graduation when they committed to launching their companies. SDX responded by running a pilot that provided founders with equity funding post-graduation. That pilot was very successful and well received by the founders.

SDX has subsequently established a new Fund (SBXi) to support companies that emerge from the Sandbox program post-graduation. The funding will be structured as an investment focused on supporting the founders. These investments may range from $10K to $100K initially in the form of a SAFE. The aim is to provide additional support for teams in the process of actively fundraising, or help teams complete their first round of funding. The Fund subsequently allocates additional funding for future rounds.

This additional funding program is open to all Sandbox alumni team members. The option to take advantage of this opportunity after graduation is totally voluntary: receiving grant funding from the MIT Sandbox program does not obligate teams to take funding from the SBXi Fund. Sandbox participants are always encouraged to evaluate all options and mentors will work with the participants to choose the best options (funding and accelerators) for the founders. Similarly, SBXi will not automatically fund all Sandbox startups; it will evaluate potential investments using criteria and a process determined by its own Investment Committee. Sandbox will not be involved in any funding decisions by SBXi.

To learn more about the SBXi Fund for emerging start-ups, please visit SBXi.