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Accelerator Perks of Supporting Start-Ups to Create Digital Public Goods

When a startup creates a DPG, opportunities for scaling startups open. You want your start-ups to be successful, below are the reasons your startups should create DPGs:

  1. Access to a Global Network: Solutions that are recognized as a DPG will be made discoverable to a global community including governments, technical providers, NGOs, donors, and multilaterals who are interested in supporting DPGs. This also can include lead to increased discoverability by technical contributors which is important for active open source solutions. The DPG that your accelerator supports could be considered or included in recommendations made to various stakeholders seeking open source solutions that have been recognized as DPGs. Additionally, startups can access a global network of other DPG product owners & contributors.

  2. Potential Scale and Growth of the Startup Participating in your Programme: The startups you support in your accelerator program can potentially be adapted to solve challenges in other countries, providing it opportunity to scale and growth quicker in new regions than a proprietary solution. One of the most notable examples where this has been seen before is DHIS2, an open source, web-based platform most commonly used as a health management information system (HMIS). Today, DHIS2 is the world’s largest HMIS platform, in use by 73 low and middle-income countries.

  3. Branding & Credibility: If the startup's solution meets the DPG Standard, it will be officially considered a DPG, demonstrating that it is in accordance with global standards. Once a solution is recognized as a DPG, your work as an accelerator and the DPG itself is made visible to a global audience including governments, NGOs, and non-profit organizations. The Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA) is endorsed by the UN Secretary General's Roadmap for Digital Cooperation, and the DPG Registry aspires to become a global go-to-platform for open source solutions.

  4. Potential Funding and Support for the Startup: As the benefits of open source grows globally, there is an increased interest in supporting open source solutions. This is resulting in funding opportunities that are prioritizing open source solutions. Additionally, the DPGA is actively developing partnerships with organisations and advocating for investors to provide financial and technical assistance for DPGs.

What happens after the startup solution gets endorsed as a digital public good by DPGA?​

DPGA is constantly adding additional offerings to support vetted DPGs, below is a quick summary of the current and upcoming benefits to be recognized as a digital public good.

Current:

  • DPGs can be found on the DPGA website via the DPG Registry
  • New DPGs are announced via the DPGA’s monthly mailing list and can also be announced in partnership with product owners on DPGA social media channels if interested.
  • DPG designation will be reflected on connected including DIAL’s Catalog of Digital Solutions where it can easily be discovered by implementers, partners and funders
  • Demonstrating DPG status allows projects to demonstrate affiliation with the DPGA.
  • Projects are encouraged to work with the DPGA to identify other ways for the DPGA to support and amplify the project, brand and mission. Understanding product and deployment updates allows the DPGA to convey the impact of DPGs.

Upcoming:

  • We are working with additional partners to establish visual icons and indicators to increase the discoverability and prominence of DPGs
  • DPGs will be eligible to be included in additional assessments by communities of experts seeking to make recommendations specifically to government procurers and funding bodies
  • Additional offerings for recognized DPGs including mentorship, consultation, and funding