GSMA Innovation Fund for Mobile Internet Adoption and Digital Inclusion
We’re delighted to announce the launch of the GSMA Innovation Fund for Mobile Internet Adoption and Digital Inclusion.
Are you a start-up or SME in Sub-Saharan Africa or Asia? Are you helping people get online for the first time using mobile internet?
You could be eligible to apply for an equity-free grant of between £100,000 and £250,000 to scale your innovation over a 15- to 18-month period.
About the GSMA Innovation Fund for Driving Mobile Internet Adoption and Digital Inclusion
The mobile industry connects over 3.5 billion citizens to the internet across the globe and continues to lead efforts on digital inclusion by connecting more people every day. Despite this, there is still a ‘usage gap’ of 3.3 billion people covered by mobile broadband networks who are not using mobile internet services. These citizens tend to belong to the most marginalised groups and are disproportionately rural, female and illiterate. If current trends continue, more than 40 per cent of the population in low- and middle-income countries will still be offline in 2025.
The GSMA Innovation Fund for Mobile Internet Adoption and Digital Inclusion aims to support innovative solutions to increasing mobile internet adoption and use for those currently not using mobile internet services.
Funded projects will focus on innovations that overcome a number of the barriers to mobile internet adoption including Accessibility, Affordability, Digital Skills and Safety and Security, and will look to demonstrate commercially sustainable models that can be scaled and replicated in similar environments.
To be eligible to apply, start-ups or SMEs must meet the following criteria:
• Have active users and revenue in at least one eligible low- or middle-income market
• Use or be planning to use mobile technology strategically
• Have the potential and appetite to form strategic partnerships with mobile operators
• Have clear and measurable socio-economic impact, in particular: serving low-income citizens, rural populations, women and/or youth
• Demonstrate how they will advance the SDGs
• Be registered and operating in the country of project implementation. The applicant must also be registered in the country where they will receive the grant money (if not the same as the implementation country).
• Be fully compliant with relevant business licensing, taxation, employee and other relevant regulations in all countries of operation
• Be compliant with all applicable laws including upholding/adhering to fundamental human rights, UK Modern Slavery Acts, Gender Equality Act, Child Protection Policies and all international labour standards
• Have 50% matching funding for the total grant amount ‘in cash’ and/or ‘in kind
For more information click "LINK TO ORIGINAL" below.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
https://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/gsma-innovation-fund-mobile-internet-adoption/