St. Joseph Innovation Stockyard has announced the first company to receive funding through its recent partnership with Digital Sandbox KC.

According to a news release, the first company in St. Joseph to receive support from the program is Toss It Curbside, founded by Aaron Brennan and Pedro Fernandez. Toss It Curbside provides professional removal service for unwanted items. Customers can place their unwanted items on the curb and the Toss It Curbside team will coordinate the item’s removal and delivery to a local donation or recycle center, leaving little for the landfill.

Digital Sandbox KC said it plans to optimize app- and web-based functions to help the company expand to new markets.

“We’re incredibly grateful for the support from St. Joseph and the funding from the Sandbox,” Brennan said. “We’re expanding rapidly. This funding will help get our business to the next step and fit the needs of our customers.”

The Sandbox program in St. Joseph, partially funded by the Missouri Technology Corporation, utilizes Digital Sandbox KC’s proof-of-concept program to target early-stage entrepreneurs in St. Joseph who have concepts that can rapidly grow a business into a significant employer. In addition to up to $15,000 in project development funds, the Innovation Stockyard, located inside the Kit Bond Incubator in St. Joseph, will offer recipients coworking space.