The 48 companies were selected from more than 1,300 proposals. The vast majority of the selected companies are looking to use the technology to assist communities in low- and middle-income countries, according to an Aug. 9 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation blog post.
Due to the large number of applicants, the Gates Foundation increased the total funding awarded from $3 million to $5 million.
More than 75 percent of the recipients are first-time Gates Foundation grants recipients.
