GSMA Offering Startups Using Mobile Technology Grants of Up to £250,000

The Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA) is organizing the first round for the GSMA Ecosystem Accelerator Innovation Fund for startups based on mobile services technology. The group also happens to be the one which laid the foundations for GSM technology for mobile phones.

The Innovation Fund is primarily aimed at those who wish to use GSM technology to make a difference in the world. According to GSMA:

The objective of the GSMA Ecosystem Accelerator programme is to support innovative mobile services with a positive socio-economic impact in emerging markets, through partnerships between mobile operators and start-ups.

The program offers startups a chance to bring about positive impact on the socio economic situation in emerging markets (including Pakistan) by presenting a project in partnership with mobile operators based on mobile service solutions.

It is being funded by the UK’s Department for International Development and is supported by the GSMA and mobile operators in the UK.

Program Details

Startups that are approved for funding will be offered:

• Grants between GBP 100,000 and GBP 250,000
• Bespoke technical assistance and also mobile-focused mentoring
• Opportunities for partnerships with mobile operators in relevant markets

To make sure you are eligible to apply you need to ensure that:

• You must use mobile technology.
• You must be aligned with one of these focus areas:
  • Sharing economy
  • Mobile Services for Small and Medium Enterprises
• The funding provided must be used for a specific project where socio-economic impact should be achieved, for example – job creation, opportunities for entrepreneurs or youth etc.
• The project’s duration should be between 12 and 18 months.
• The qualifying startups should be able to match at least 50% of the funding amount. This is with respect to the funding they request from the Innovation Fund.
• The startups applying for the funding should have produced at least one product/service which reaches active users in at least one market.

You can check the full eligibility criteria here.

Deadline for Submissions

The last date for submitting your pitch is 18th September 2016, until 11:59 pm GMT. For Pakistanis, this comes down to 19th September 2016 at 4:59 am Pakistan time.

and you can apply for the program here.