Microsoft announced a grant initiative that will give grants averaging $75,000 to companies around the world to help bring “affordable Internet access to underserved markets.”
It’s called the Affordable Access Initiative. Microsoft is seeking applicants, including Internet access providers, and public and private entities, on a global scale to help get more people online.
It’s the latest example of tech giants trying to boost Internet access around the world. Facebook, Google and other big companies have been pursuing similar initiatives of their own. According to Microsoft, about 57 percent of the world is offline. The program is especially seeking companies that can not only help people connect but also introduce them to cloud services.
“Today there are approximately 4 billion people globally without Internet access,” said Peggy Johnson, executive vice president of business development at Microsoft, in a statement. “The ability to close that gap is more achievable than ever with technology that is readily available and affordable in many parts of the world. Through this fund, we hope to kick-start the entrepreneurial process by identifying promising ideas that we can help nurture, grow and scale.”
Applicants must be commercial entities with two or more full-time employees. They also must have a prototype of a working solution, and as Microsoft prefers, some customers already in the pipeline. For all the application instruction and criteria, visit Microsoft’s site here.
