GSMA Innovation Fund

We’re delighted to announce the launch of the GSMA Innovation Fund for Mobile Internet Adoption and Digital Inclusion. Applications are now open.

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. Find out more below.

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. If current trends continue, more than 40 percent 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.

The GSMA Innovation Fund supports innovative startups 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 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

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

How to Apply

The deadline for submitting your project is 22 May 2020. Please download the terms and conditions document which contains details on the eligibility criteria and application process.

If you have any questions about the GSMA Innovation Fund, please email GSMAIF@gsma.com.

Download T&Cs

Make sure to register for our webinar on 22 April at 14:00 GMT+1. In this webinar, we will share additional information about the GSMA Innovation Fund and will provide you with guidance to help you complete your application.

Register for Webinar

When you’re ready, click here to begin your application.

Apply Now