GSMA Innovation Fund for Climate Resilience, Adaptation 2.0 Offers Grants up to $312,000 for Ethiopian Startups

The GSMA has announced the opening of the GSMA Innovation Fund for Climate Resilience and Adaptation 2.0 and is calling on startups, SMEs, and social enterprises in Ethiopia to apply and get a chance to earn a full support package, including grant funding between $125,000 and $312,000.

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The fund, designed to pilot and scale up digital technology innovations that can make a positive socio-economic and environmental impact in areas that have communities most vulnerable to current or future climate risks, is accepting applications until May 16, 2023.

The fund, which is made possible through a partnership between GSMA, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), builds on the success of the previous fund.

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Last year, Ethiopian agritech startup Lersha was one of the 11 startups to be included in the first cohort of the Fund. Lersha received an equity-free grant of between £100,000 and £250,000 to scale its innovation, a one-stop digital platform for smallholder farmers that offers farm inputs, mechanization services, and agro-climate information.

This year’s fund is open to applications from Africa, South and South East Asia, the Pacific Islands, the Caribbean, and selected countries in Europe and Latin America. The fund is interested in solutions that use digital technology, particularly mobile, to improve resilience and adaptation to climate change.

Applications are invited from local teams, female-founded and female-led organizations, and applicants that actively focus on the needs of female end-users. Selected organizations will be eligible for a full support package, including equity-free grant funding, tailored technical assistance, facilitation of relationships with mobile operators and public sector organizations, peer learning opportunities, and the opportunity to increase their visibility to potential investors and partners.

Click here to apply for the GSMA Innovation Fund for Climate Resilience and Adaptation 2.0.