Attachement J.1 Definitions.pdf

ATTACHEMENT J.1: DEFINITIONS

Technology companies are generally defined as a for-profit business that has as its principal function the providing of computer-centric services, including information transfer, communication, or data processing, or the manufacture of goods or materials for computer related activities, with its principal place of business in Zambia and with Zambian employees and customers.

Technology startup company is a new business undertaken by an entrepreneur to find, develop, and validate a scalable business model that intends to grow beyond the solo-founder into a sizable company. Startups face high uncertainty and have high rates of failure as they are in the first stages of bringing new technology products or services to market or deliver existing technology products or services in new ways.

Second anniversary is the end of the second year that a startup company is formally accelerated by the contractor. Acceleration starts when the contractor starts support activities detailed in Deliverable 1. The company must be formally incorporated prior to the second anniversary and have the systems in place to receive mentorship, investment, and networking that can lead to growth and scale.

Full-time equivalent employees are the total number of hours worked by all staff, divided by the maximum number of compensable hours in a full-time schedule as defined by applicable law - typically 40 hours per week. For example, six people working a total of 120 hours in a week would be considered three full-time equivalent employees.

Startup company revenues are defined as the money generated from normal business operations, often referred to as gross income from sales, and recognized using a cash accounting method.

Tech-enabled firms are generally for-profit companies in any sector that are already using information and communication technology in their normal course of business, and seek to increase their revenues, decrease costs, enable growth, or similar business activities through additional investments into technology goods and services. The firms can be domiciled outside of Zambia, if the majority of their business relevant to this activity occurs within Zambia and with Zambian employees and customers.

Private sector investors are any persons or organizations who commit capital with the expectation of financial returns, for example:

• For-profit, commercial entities and their affiliated foundations.

• Private finance providers, intermediaries, or financial institutions, including commercial banks, private investment firms, mutual funds, private equity or venture capital funds, pension funds, and insurance companies.

• Private foundations, endowments, and sovereign wealth funds.

• Private business or industry associations and cooperatives.

• Individual investors, including angel investors, impact investors, and family offices.

• For-profit approaches that generate sustainable income (e.g., a venture fund run by an

NGO or a social enterprise).

Parastatals, government-owned companies, and non-profit non-governmental organizations do not qualify as private sector investors for this activity.

USAID/Zambia target populations are detailed on the USAID/Zambia website and in the

Country Development Cooperation Strategy and Fact Sheets on the website.

Lobito corridor is the Zambia-Lobito greenfield rail line connecting northwest Zambia to the

Lobito Atlantic Railway and the port of Lobito.

Rights-respecting technology solutions foster open, secure, and inclusive digital societies in which technology advances democratic principles, counters digital authoritarianism, and respects human rights.

Open, secure, reliable, and inclusive digital ecosystem. An open digital ecosystem is one where there is open access to information and the global internet. In addition, it is an ecosystem where individuals and firms have access to open-source data, digital infrastructure, and applications. A secure digital ecosystem is one where individuals’ privacy is secured and where individuals and firms are protected from cyberattacks, online harassment, and other related online threats. A reliable digital ecosystem is one where users can access the internet on a regular basis and with a fast connection with limited interruptions. An inclusive digital ecosystem is one where vulnerable individuals and firms have access to high quality and affordable connectivity, relevant solutions, the skills to participate meaningfully, and where new tools are used in an unbiased and inclusive manner.

ICT infrastructure and telecommunications networks include but are not limited to hardware, software, protocols, technical standards, providers, operators, users, and supply chains spanning computer technology and Internet access systems such as undersea cables, cloud computing, data centers, mobile network operators, satellite network infrastructure, 5/6G, OpenRAN, and operational and consumer technologies, applications, web platforms.