Sproxil^®, a leading provider of world-class brand protection for emerging markets, has been awarded technical assistance grant funding from the Technical Assistance Initiative (TAI), a partnership between Acumen and Dow Chemical.  The TAI explores opportunities for collaboration between social enterprises and global corporations aimed at expanding access to critical goods and services for low-income communities in East and West Africa. Sproxil’s anti-counterfeiting solution, Mobile Product Authentication™ (MPA™) technology safeguards consumers in emerging markets from counterfeit goods, such as pharmaceuticals, personal care, electrical cabling, automotive aftermarket parts, and home goods.  Sproxil will receive funding as it develops and pilots an anti-counterfeiting prototype for adjacent industries and explores partnerships for market expansion.

Launched May 14 – 16 at a summit in Nairobi, Kenya, the TA Initiative invited 10 of Acumen’s portfolio companies from East and West Africa with the aim of expanding access to critical goods and services for underserved communities in the region. The participating social enterprises were invited to submit applications for grant funding as well as in-kind support from Dow’s Global Sustainability Corps; Sproxil was one of four to receive funding.  The Technical Assistance Initiative was launched as a joint Commitment to Action by Acumen and Dow Chemical at the Clinton Global Initiative in 2012.

For more information on the program and the full list of Technical Assistance recipients, visit Acumen’s Blog.