Qualcomm Small Business Accelerator: From Music Teaching to Cleantech Engineering

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. announced selections for the Qualcomm® Small Business Accelerator Program, which is designed to help small businesses transition to a mobile-first digital work environment to thrive in today's business climate and set-up for success in the long-term. The comprehensive program was created to provide small businesses with products powered by Qualcomm Technologies solutions, collaboration tools, and technical and integration support, so that the selected businesses can continue to maintain operations throughout the current global pandemic and beyond.

Following the launch of the Qualcomm Small Business Accelerator Program in June, Qualcomm Technologies received more than 375 applications to the program, across 38 states and the District of Columbia. In reviewing the submissions, Qualcomm Technologies recognized ways in which its technology offerings could help small businesses with the digital gaps that prevented them from maintaining operations safely and efficiently. The selected 33 businesses span the healthcare, education, crisis response, arts, environmental services, and other industries, and most identified as women-owned, minority-owned, and/or veteran-owned.

Each selected small business will receive a unique variety of products and technical support valued at up to US$25,000, based on identified need. Product offerings may include mobile computing and connectivity solutions powered by Qualcomm Technologies solutions, such as Always-Connected PCs (4G and 5G cellular-connected laptops), Wi-Fi systems, mobile phones, Bluetooth enabled headsets and active mobile hotspots, along with technical and device integration support.

Official submission videos included songs, poems, and inspiring testimonials from passionate frontline workers, educators, and small business owners and their employees. "Conducting high quality online video-conferencing and whiteboarding internally and externally to improve overall customer experience was a huge motivation for our team to apply and build a relationship with Qualcomm Technologies," said Paul Francis, KIGT, a cleantech and EV charging business from Ontario, California and selected business for the program. "The KIGT team genuinely believes that together with the Qualcomm Technologies team, we can truly reshape 100 years of human habit."

"Becoming a Mobile-First business will go far beyond helping GITC's staff and faculty work more effectively," shared Jessica Baron, Executive Director of San Diego-based education nonprofit, Guitars in the Classroom. "It will supercharge our capacity to serve online, empowering hundreds more educators around the country to participate in our trainings and receive the resources they need to teach their students through the power of song. Through Qualcomm Technologies' generosity, we will now be able to scale up and move the needle on access to music as an integral part of cross-curricular learning for students everywhere." 

Qualcomm Technologies and its ecosystem of partners share a commitment to empowering small businesses through technology, and we are pleased to have the support of the following 10 partners:

• Bose (Bluetooth headsets)
• Jabra (Bluetooth headsets)
• Lenovo™ (5G-enabled PCs)
• Linksys (Wi-Fi networking devices)
• Microsoft (4G-enabled PCs and software solutions)
• Motorola (mobile devices)
• Samsung (mobile devices and the 4G-enabled Galaxy Book S PC)
• Square (point of sale technology)
• Targus (mobile docking stations)
• Verizon Business (connectivity solutions)