Four local entrepreneurial businesses in Asia are out of 12 globally to receive funding and resources to tackle the connectivity gap and empower students and teachers
SINGAPORE, 25 May 2016 — Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday announced it has awarded Affordable Access Initiative grants to four entrepreneurial businesses in Asia, out of 12 partners globally. They include AirJaldi and Zaya Learning Labs from India; Kelase from Indonesia; as well as Wi-Fi Interactive Network from Philippines. The grants will 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 Microsoft BizSpark tools such as free software, services and technology support to help extend the reach of their hardware, applications, connectivity and power solutions.
Neil Dsouza, CEO and Founder, Zaya Learning Labs from India said: “Microsoft’s partnership will help us improve and scale up our ClassCloud product which will make world class education accessible and affordable to millions of students. Beyond the financial support, we will be able to use some of the Cloud Services offered to us to invest in Machine learning and offer more personalized learning solutions to students who don’t have the opportunity to learn from a great teacher.”
Michael Ginguld, Director of Strategy and Operations, AirJaldi, from India said: “We are proud to be part of Microsoft’s AAI. We’ll use the grant to build a network in rural Maharashtra proving hybrid TVWS/WiFi networks’ ability to overcome obstacles to connectivity. We’ll enable telemedicine, education, finance and nature preservation applications, all becoming an integral part of a commercially viable network.”
Philip Zulueta, President and Founder, Wi-Fi Interactive Network from Philippines said: “It is truly an honor to be chosen by Microsoft as one of 12 partners globally, to launch the Affordable Access initiative. By using TV White Space to anchor the connectivity of our sponsored WiFi hotspots, we have strengthened our capabilities to bridge the world’s digital divide.”
Brimy Laksmana, Chief Executive Officer, Kelase from Indonesia said: ““Our partnership with Microsoft Affordable Access Initiative will drive our business to grow and continue to innovate in order to provide benefits to more schools, teachers, students and parents in accessing affordable technologies and high quality digital learning services and contents to reduce digital divide, improving skills and enhance learning quality.”
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.
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 from 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)
- com (Argentina)
- VistaBotswana (Botswana)
About Microsoft
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