By GIFT NDOLWANE
JOHANNESBURG – MICROSOFT is accepting applications for its Affordable Access Initiative grant fund for a second year.
The fund assists companies working to bring internet access and new technologies, services and models to underserved markets.
“Too many people around the world lack internet connectivity and the educational, commercial and economic benefits of cloud-based services,” said Mary Snapp, corporate vice president and head of Microsoft Philanthropies.
“Affordable Access Initiative grants, and the technology ecosystems they help support, empower entrepreneurs to provide connectivity, which then enables the creation of critical services for those who need it most.”
Applicants must be commercial organisations with two or more full-time employees and have a prototype of a working solution and preferably paying customers.
Such products and business models might combine new cloud services and applications, low-cost forms of internet connectivity, andnew payment mechanisms designed for consumers and smaller businesses in underserved markets.
Vista Africa, among recipients from last year, is a cloud-based software platform that helps healthcare providers more easily screen, track and treat patients’ health in areas where connectivity is limited.
– Guardian