Microsoft launches new Global Social Entrepreneurship program

08 / 03 / 2020

By Ahmed Abdel Qawi - Mohamed El Ghobashy - | Edited by Marwa Nassar

Microsoft has launched a new Global Social Entrepreneurship program to offer qualified startups access to technology, education, customers and grants.

Microsoft’s global initiative is designed to help social enterprise startups build and scale their companies to do good globally.

The program is available in 140 countries and will actively seek to support underrepresented founders with diverse perspectives and backgrounds.

The criteria to qualify for the program include a business metric that measures impact on an important social or environmental challenge; an established product or service that will benefit from access to enterprise customers; and a commitment to the ethical and responsible use of AI.

Microsoft seeks to provide the foundational building blocks to help social entrepreneurs create companies that can achieve worldwide impact.

Social enterprises that become part of the Global Social Entrepreneurship program will receive access to free Microsoft cloud technologies, including up to $120,000 in Azure credits, along with technical support and guidance.

A dedicated program manager will help Global Social Entrepreneurship startups market and sell solutions and connect to large commercial organizations and nongovernmental organizations that are potential customers. Participants focused on sustainability, accessibility, and skills and employability will also be eligible for grants.

And social enterprises that join the Global Social Entrepreneurship program will be part of a worldwide community of like-minded innovators who come together to share ideas, foster connections and celebrate success.

Today, social entrepreneurship is much more than a trend. It has developed into a global movement as more and more entrepreneurs find innovative ways to use AI to pioneer new approaches to solving the problems the world faces. For many of them, it is a chance to turn a lifelong passion into mission-driven enterprise that can thrive because it is doing good and driving positive change.