REDMOND, Wash., 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.
"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.
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SOURCE Microsoft Corp.