GSMA Innovation Fund for Mobile Internet Adoption and Digital Inclusion

Deadline: 22 May 2020

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? If yes, then apply now for GSMA Innovation Fund for Mobile Internet Adoption and Digital Inclusion.

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.

The GSMA Innovation Fund (“the Fund”) supports innovative start-ups or small to medium sized private sector companies (SMEs) in emerging markets to achieve sustainable growth and improved socio-economic impact. The Fund aims to support innovation that increases mobile internet adoption and usage for the underserved and those who are currently not using mobile internet services. The Fund is looking for start-ups or SMEs willing and able to work with mobile operators on projects which advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The objective of the Fund is to support solutions that seek to address one or more of the following barriers to mobile internet adoption:

Accessibility: Innovations which improve the accessibility and usability of handsets and mobile internet services for citizens who are unable to access them. This will not include accessibility to networks, electricity or IDs
Affordability: Innovations which improve affordability of handsets and mobile internet services
Digital skills: Innovations which focus on improving basic digital skills and confidence to access and use mobile internet
Safety and security: Innovations which focus on improving safety and security of those who want to use mobile internet. This will not include tackling issues of data privacy and fraud

This Fund will not support services, solutions or business models that have a focus on the creation of sector specific locally relevant content (e.g. health or agriculture services; or maternal or childcare content). The Fund will not support the manufacturing or importation of hardware where access to hardware (e.g. mobile devices) is seen as a barrier to internet adoption and usage.

The Fund will seek to:

Promote partnerships between mobile operators and start-ups or SMEs in order to increase the reach of innovative mobile services to low-income citizens
Test business models with the greatest potential for growth and impact in Asia and Africa
Provide lessons and examples on the ways in which mobile is driving positive socio-economic change

The Fund is supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), BMZ, the GSMA and its members.

Funding Information

The funding will be in the form of a grant which should be used for a specific project. The Fund will therefore not be taking any equity against the funding; it will however closely oversee the monetary usage of the grant and only disburse funding based on milestone achievements. Milestone-based payments will be dependent on the grantee delivering proof that mutually-agreed milestones/targets have been completed/achieved.
Applicants are expected to submit and justify their requirements for the project to be funded, as well their reasons for the funding amount requested:
- The amount can be between £100,000 and £250,000
- The funding requires at least 50% match funding from applicants ‘in cash’ and/or ‘in kind’
The duration of the project can be between 15 and 18 months.
The two types of projects the Fund is interested in are:
- Innovative new product, service or business model: a project where a new value proposition is developed and launched
- Expansion in existing or to new market(s): a project which launches an existing product or service into new market(s) or expands a product or service to a target market that is digitally excluded.

Type of support available

The support package includes:

Grant funding between £100,000 and £250,000
Mentoring on the use of mobile technology including expert advice and bringing organisations together physically or virtually to share relevant insights, and best practice on how to overcome the barriers preventing the unconnected from adopting and using mobile internet (including specific expertise on women, rural, etc.)
Monitoring and evaluation support to help evidence SDG outcomes and promote product improvement
Facilitation of relationships with mobile operators
Bootcamp (a programme of expert-led sessions and targeted networking) and regular offline clinics including session on improvements of your product or service through, for instance, supporting human-centred design or usability testing led by subject-matter experts
Opportunity to increase your visibility and raising the your profile to potential investors and partners through profiling in publications, social media, and participation in events such as Mobile World Congress Barcelona (global) and the M360 series (regional).

Beyond this support, the selected grantees will also benefit from enhanced visibility through the programme’s insight publications, learnings through exchange with other portfolio grantees and networking opportunities with the programme’s networks.

Geography

Africa: Preference will be given to the following list of countries but high quality proposals will be considered from across Sub-Saharan Africa
- Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Asia: Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
Note: Additional due diligence checks may be required for some markets

Eligibility Criteria

The Fund aims to increase mobile internet adoption and usage among those who have access to mobile internet services but are not using it. It is open to post-revenue start-ups or SMEs using mobile technology to solve local challenges through a 15- to 18-month project, and who are registered and operating in Asia and Africa.

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
During the selection process, they will also ensure eligible applicants have:
- Adequate financial systems to report regularly to the Fund and, if required, undergo an external audit
- Adequate internal human resource capability to implement the proposed project and comply with the Fund’s reporting requirements within the planned timeframe
- Applicants may need to demonstrate how they are compliant with all applicable laws and regulations
The Fund particularly encourages the following start-ups or SMEs to apply:
- Applicants must proactively demonstrate that they have taken steps to ensure their solution reaches women as well as men, in addition to people with disabilities and/or have solutions that disproportionately reach women (or have the potential to)
- Female founders, and applicants with good representation of women at all levels of the organisation
- Local founders supporting local talent