Twelve businesses from 11 countries will receive funding and
resources to tackle the connectivity gap in communities around the
world.
REDMOND, Washington,
May 23, 2016 /PRNewswire/
-- Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday announced it has awarded
Affordable Access Initiative grants to 12 entrepreneurial
businesses to help scale their solutions and business models to
increase affordable Internet access in communities around the
world. Each company will receive seed grants and resources
including BizSpark tools such as free software, services and
technology support to help extend the reach of their hardware,
applications, connectivity and power solutions. Today's news marks
progress on the commitments Microsoft made earlier this year to
invest $1 billion to bring the power of cloud technology to serve
the public good, including through expanding the availability of
affordable broadband services, new commercial partnerships and
expanded philanthropic programs.
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"With more than half of the world's population lacking access to
the Internet, connectivity is a global challenge that demands
creative problem solving," said Peggy
Johnson, executive vice president of business development at
Microsoft. "By using technology that's available now and partnering
with local entrepreneurs who understand the needs of their
communities, our hope is to create sustainable solutions that will
not only have impact today but also in the years to come."
Microsoft's Affordable Access Initiative aims to democratize
access to the Internet through grants, commercial partnerships,
connecting new leaders and community engagement. Grant recipients
are already addressing a range of challenges that take advantage of
last-mile access technologies such as TV white spaces, and their
business models also demonstrate the ability to scale up and be
market-sustained. Grant recipients are based across five continents
in 11 countries: Argentina,
Botswana, India, Indonesia, Malawi, Nigeria, Philippines, Rwanda, Uganda, the United
Kingdom and the United
States. In addition to financial support, grant recipients
will have access to the following:
- A global network connecting social enterprises with peers and
mentors to develop and share best practices.
- Participation in annual immersive summits and monthly virtual
touchpoints, alongside ongoing support from Microsoft's Research
and Development team.
And, to further empower people and organization in communities
benefitting from the Affordable Access Initiative, Microsoft
Philanthropies will make digital literacy, online safety and
computer science education programs available through its global
YouthSpark initiative, as well as cloud product donations and
training for nonprofits.
Below is a complete list of the Affordable Access Initiative
grant recipients. You can learn more about their solutions and
Microsoft's commitment to affordable access at
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/affordable-access-initiative/home.
Power Solutions
- African Renewable Energy Distributor (Rwanda)
- New Sun Road (Uganda)
Hardware Solutions
- Zaya Learning Labs (India)
Connectivity Solutions
- AirJaldi (India)
- Axiom Technologies (United
States)
- C3: Communications Consulting Centre (Malawi)
- Ekovolt (Nigeria)
- Wi-Fi Interactive Network (Philippines)
Application Solutions
- Kelase (Indonesia)
- Movivo (United Kingdom)
- Tambero.com (Argentina)
- VistaBotswana (Botswana)
Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) (@microsoft) is the leading platform
and productivity company for the mobile-first, cloud-first world,
and its mission is to empower every person and every organization
on the planet to achieve more.