Google to give away Rs 12 crore to 4 Indian tech-focused non-profits

As part of its ‘Global Impact Challenge’ initiative, search giant Google plans to give away Rs 12 crore (about $2 million) to 4 non-profits, in India that are using technology for social good. India is the second country that Google is launching the challenge after it was debuted at the UK in March, this year.

“On the eve of India’s independence day, we’re celebrating the spirit of creativity and entrepreneurship of the world’s largest democracy by spotlighting the best local nonprofits that are using technology to make the world better. Today we’re launching the Google Impact Challenge in India, inviting Indian nonprofits to tell us how they’d use technology to improve people’s lives,” wrote Nikesh Arora, senior vice president and chief business officer in a post on Google’s official blog. Besides the Rs 3 crore, winners will also receive technical assistance from Google.

This is a hugely welcome initiative, because innovative technology companies are sometimes pushed to incorporate as for-profit social enterprises, so that they stand a better chance of getting funded. Most social enterprises have a tough time to survive after the founders, friends and relatives cash runs out as they are unable to find backers in the angel or seed stage ($100,000 to $500,000), till they can get to a Series A (usually upwards of $500,000) funding. One disappointing aspect of the challenge is that it is only open to non-profits. In India there are plenty of for-profits like Skymet Weather Services, Babajob and Uniphore Software Systems that are leveraging technology to make the world a better place.

Application, judging process and finals:

Registered Indian nonprofits can apply at g.co/indiachallenge till September 5^th. Google employees from India and globally will review applications and announce the 10 best projects on October 21st. Users can then cast their vote for their favorite company, the company with the most votes, will stand to receive a separate award in the ‘Fan Favorite’ category.

10 finalists will get to pitch live in Delhi on October 31st, to the judges who include Ram Shriram, Jacquelline Fuller, Anu Aga and Jayant Sinha. The three awardees will be selected based on potential impact, scalability and ingenuity.

On 28th August, from 12-2 p.m. IST, Google will organize Google+ Hangout to answer any questions about the challenge. Visit the FAQ page for more details.