SproutBox
SproutBox is a Bloomington, Indiana-based venture studio founded in 2008 that builds and supports a portfolio of nearly 30 early-stage startup ventures by providing founders with mentorship, board leadership, and shared HR and accounting services in exchange for equity.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersBloomington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What SproutBox does
SproutBox, LLC is a venture studio founded in 2008 and headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, that builds and supports early-stage startup companies in exchange for equity stakes and ongoing service fees. The firm provides founders with mentorship, board leadership, HR, and accounting services, and has grown a community of nearly 30 portfolio ventures with a stated focus on Midwestern founders and on positioning Bloomington as a startup hub.
The portfolio is concentrated in B2B SaaS and includes Periodic (time-based commerce and scheduling API with white-label GUIs), Proposable (web-based sales proposal software with real-time view tracking), Cheddar (usage-based billing infrastructure for SaaS products), Visible (KPI centralization and stakeholder reporting), and MX (a financial data platform for banks, credit unions, and fintechs). Additional visible portfolio companies include Sigstr, Storyamp, and Earbits. The studio's technology footprint is described as web applications and technology services; no APIs, SDKs, or AI/ML components are publicly disclosed.
Economically, SproutBox operates as a private LLC owned and controlled by its three cofounders — Marc Guyer, Brad Wisler, and Mike Trotzke — with board oversight from Chairman Jeff Hamilton and Board Member Neal Patel. The business model combines equity participation in portfolio companies with internal service fees, and the studio does not disclose pricing, ARR, or external institutional investors. Revenue is therefore realized primarily through long-tail equity returns rather than recurring product sales, making periodic portfolio exits (e.g., MX's growth, prior sales of Resite Information Technology and WorldView Multimedia by the cofounders) the principal value-creation mechanism.
SproutBox firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SproutBox
- Legal name
- SproutBox, LLC
- Website
- https://sproutbox.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- SproutBox is a Bloomington, Indiana-based venture studio founded in 2008 that builds and supports a portfolio of nearly 30 early-stage startup ventures by providing founders with mentorship, board leadership, and shared HR and accounting services in exchange for equity.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SproutBox industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Studio Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (61171)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Emerging Manager / Seeding Platforms (Multi-Manager) (FSANAGAF)
Keywords
Where SproutBox is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bloomington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
SproutBox business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Venture Studio / Portfolio Returns: SproutBox operates as a venture studio, building and growing startup ventures in exchange for equity stakes and ongoing service fees from portfolio companies.
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
SproutBox product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SproutBox is a venture studio that builds, funds, and grows early-stage startup companies, providing mentorship, board leadership, HR, and accounting services in exchange for equity stakes. The firm has built a community of nearly 30 startup ventures focused on helping Midwestern founders turn ideas into viable businesses through operational support and access to shared resources across the portfolio.
Product overview
SproutBox is a venture studio — a portfolio of entrepreneurial companies — rather than a single product company. It has built a community of nearly 30 startup ventures by helping founders bring products to market, providing mentorship, board leadership, HR, and accounting services. The named products in its portfolio include Periodic (scheduling/booking platform), Proposable (sales proposal software), Cheddar (usage-based SaaS billing), Visible (KPI centralization), and MX (financial data platform for banking/fintech). These are independent companies within the SproutBox portfolio, not modules of a unified platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SproutBox Venture Studio Program Venture studio service that builds, funds, and grows early-stage startup companies by providing mentorship, board leadership, HR, and accounting services in exchange for equity stakes and ongoing service fees from portfolio companies.
- Periodic The first complete time-based commerce platform with a robust API and suite of white label GUIs enabling rapid deployment of scheduling and booking systems that simplify the management and dispatch of complex teams.
- Proposable Web-based sales proposal software that enables companies to create and deliver proposals in minutes, with instant notifications when proposals are viewed and tracking of recipient attention for real-time selling.
- Cheddar Usage-based billing platform for SaaS products that supports metered, one-time, subscription, or hybrid billing models, reducing the time required to build monetization into a SaaS product by up to 90%.
- Visible Platform that helps companies and teams centralize key performance data, share it with stakeholders, and leverage those relationships for long-term company success.
- MX Leading data platform for banks, credit unions, and fintechs that enables clients and partners to collect, enhance, analyze, present, and act on financial data to support real-time customer understanding and customer-centric operations.
Companies that use SproutBox
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
SproutBox technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
SproutBox partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
SproutBox competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Science Inc. Los Angeles-based venture studio that builds, funds, and operates startups across multiple verticals — comparable investor-operated studio model.
- Idealab: One of the original venture studios (founded 1996) that creates and operates internet-based businesses — a like-for-like pioneer studio comparator to SproutBox.
- High Alpha: Indianapolis-based venture studio that builds and launches B2B SaaS companies — the closest direct competitor to SproutBox in geography, model, and stage focus.
- Pioneer Square Labs (PSL): Seattle-based venture studio that founds and funds startups from idea to Series A, with a similar studio service offering and equity-for-services structure.
- Betaworks: NYC-based startup studio that builds and invests in early-stage internet companies — analogous venture studio structure with equity and operational support.
- Human Ventures: Venture studio and seed fund that builds companies around founders — comparable studio model with shared services and equity-for-services economics.
- Atomic: Venture studio that builds companies from ideation through seed, offering operational support and capital — directly comparable venture studio model to SproutBox.
Broad incumbents
- Techstars: Large global accelerator network offering mentorship and seed capital to startups — broader portfolio but adjacent early-stage founder-support model.
Regional players
- Corazon Capital: Indianapolis-based early-stage venture firm focused on the Midwest — regional peer investing in similar geographies and stages as SproutBox.
Emerging players
- Visible.vc: Portfolio company of SproutBox offering investor reporting and KPI tools — referenced here as both an internal case study and external emerging adjacent platform.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
SproutBox social profiles
Digital presenceSproutBox financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SproutBox leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
SproutBox funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SproutBox M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SproutBox
What does SproutBox do?
SproutBox is a venture studio that builds, funds, and grows early-stage startup companies, providing mentorship, board leadership, HR, and accounting services in exchange for equity stakes. The firm has built a community of nearly 30 startup ventures focused on helping Midwestern founders turn ideas into viable businesses through operational support and access to shared resources across the portfolio.
Is SproutBox a public or private company?
SproutBox is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was SproutBox founded?
SproutBox was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is SproutBox based?
SproutBox is headquartered in Bloomington, United States, in the North America region.
How does SproutBox make money?
One revenue line is on record: venture Studio / Portfolio Returns.
Who are SproutBox's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Science Inc., Idealab, High Alpha, Pioneer Square Labs (PSL), Betaworks, Human Ventures and Atomic. Techstars is listed as a broad incumbent. Corazon Capital is listed as a regional player. Visible.vc is listed as an emerging player.
Does SproutBox have an API?
No public API is recorded for SproutBox.
What industry is SproutBox in?
SproutBox's product category is Venture Studio Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAM, Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated), with a secondary code of EDAMAHAA, Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics. Its NAICS code is 61171 and its SIC code is 8742.