Through the second annual Affordable Access Initiative Grant Fund, Microsoft’s Affordable Access Initiative team is supporting 10 entrepreneurs with seed funding, mentorship, access to a network of peers, and other support aimed at increasing internet and energy access. The AAI Grant Fund helps entrepreneurs refine and scale solutions around the world.

1. Affordable
Access
Initiative
Connecting
the World
@AAIGrantFund

2. 53%of the planet lacks access
to the internet, and 1.3
billion people lack access
to affordable energy.
ago we launched the
Affordable Access Initiative
Grant Fund to help
entrepreneurs deliver internet,
energy, agriculture IoT, and
internet-based services.
22entrepreneurs have received
funding and support,
including today’s winners.
Their
Solutions
are changing lives.
2 Years

3. Thanks to Zaya, girls in a
public school in rural
India can now download
lessons and keep up with
their peers in big cities.
Our 2016 winners included
entrepreneurs such as the
founders of Zaya Learning Labs,
who are delivering educational
content to young girls in India.

4. New Sun Road’s
“solar trees” provide
energy access to
Ugandan villages,
powering devices
and connectivity.
“Microsoft’s support grant, IoT
lab, and support from executives
means everything to us. It’s
allowed us to innovate.”
– Jalel Sager, Co-Founder, CEO,
New Sun Road

5. ARED’s solar power
kiosks charge
phones, provide
Wi-Fi access, and
create franchise
jobs for Rwandans.

6. Thousands of farmers in
Argentina and around the
world earn better livelihoods
thanks to Tambero’s app,
which empowers them to
check on their livestock,
capture data about milk
production, upload it to the
cloud for analysis, and
increase their output and
income.
Learn more about IoT for agriculture here
“Before the cloud, it was
impossible to have a global
farming app.”
– Eddie Rodriguez Von Der
Becke, Founder, CEO, Tambero

7. Health is improving
for hundreds in
Botswana because of
VistaAfrica’s cloud-
based medical records
system, helping
provide solutions to
support early
intervention and
long-term care.
“We will be using TV white space
technology to provide access to
specialized telemedicine applications,
where hospitals can send high-
resolution patient photographs…for
more accurate diagnosis and care.”
– Dr. Geoffrey Seleka, Director,
Botswana Innovation Hub Marketing,
ICT and Registration

8. Congratulations to our 2017
AAI Grant Fund Winners:
• Electric Vine Industries
• Kukua
• Sigora
• Solaris Offgrid
• Standard Microgrid
• SunCulture
• PicoSoft
• VABB
• VisionNet
• WrightGrid
Honorable Mentions:
• BluPoint
• eFisheries
Learn more about our winners here
and follow us @AAIGrantFund.