WASHINGTON, Sept. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- TaroWorks, the offline mobile field service app, is awarding a $20,000 grant (funded by Qualcomm through its Qualcomm Wireless Reach initiative) to subsidize the digitization of a social enterprise or for-profit organization's last mile distribution operations in vulnerable communities.

TaroWorks, whose mobile app helps last mile distributors manage and gain greater visibility into sales, inventory, and product maintenance while offline in places like rural India, will award the $20,000 grant to a qualified social enterprise or for-profit organization to contribute to the cost of configuring and deploying TaroWorks' inventory management system - TaroWorks Enterprise. TaroWorks is accepting applications for the grant from now until October 14, 2022. This is the second round of the grant, the first round focused on nonprofits during the spring of 2022.

"We have heard from many organizations that they lack the financial support they need to implement digital solutions to serve the last mile," said TaroWorks CEO Brent Chism. "Qualcomm Wireless Reach is covering the costs of designing and implementing TaroWorks tools for one of those organizations, which at the same time will help us learn from last mile distribution managers about what their industry needs to better serve base-of-pyramid communities."

"Qualcomm is excited to continue our long-term partnership with TaroWorks, and to help drive the impact of nonprofits making a difference by distributing life-changing goods at the last mile," said Angela Baker, Chief Sustainability Officer, Qualcomm. Qualcomm Wireless Reach has been a proud supporter of TaroWorks since 2014.

Making Last Mile Delivery More Effective

"Distributors who are serving these 'last mile' populations...play a crucial role in sustainable development by driving demand for beneficial products and delivering them to hard-to-reach consumers," wrote leaders of the Global Distributors Collective (GDC), a worldwide coalition of last mile distributors who reach more than 33 million people in last mile households with solar lights, clean cookstoves, and water filters. "While the importance of last mile distribution is increasingly recognized, funding is still not flowing into this space," they added.

Last mile delivery is considered "the most inefficient process of the entire supply chain" according to a majority of transportation and logistics companies surveyed in a 2020 study of the U.S. and Canadian industry sector. The same group agrees it is critical for companies to "ensure a mobile-first strategy around last mile delivery" by using smartphones, tablets and task-specific apps to improve operations. 

TaroWorks Enterprise helps organizations gain transparency in their last mile operations around procuring, transferring, warehousing, and distributing goods. The offline mobile field service app also enables organizations to collect data, analyze metrics, monitor performance and manage field teams from mobile devices when working in remote areas with little internet or phone service. 

Grant Application Deadline and Evaluation Criteria

TaroWorks will evaluate applications based on business need, potential for long-term success with the system, estimated long-term impact, and financial need. For more information and to apply for the grant funding, visit the TaroWorks Enterprise Grant page.

TaroWorks is a SaaS product integrated with the Salesforce.com CRM platform, so grant applicants must be current or planned Salesforce users in order to be eligible for consideration.

For press inquiries, please contact Riley Harding at riley@taroworks.org.

About TaroWorks

TaroWorks LLC is a social enterprise that sells an offline mobile field services management platform to help organizations operating at the last mile enhance inventory management, monitoring and evaluation, sales, case management and agent network performance in the field. Its mission is to improve product and service delivery to the poor by bringing real-time data across the last mile to use for business decision-making. TaroWorks is a subsidiary of Grameen Foundation.

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm is the world's leading wireless technology innovator and the driving force behind the development, launch, and expansion of 5G. When we connected the phone to the internet, the mobile revolution was born. Today, our foundational technologies enable the mobile ecosystem and are found in every 3G, 4G and 5G smartphone. We bring the benefits of mobile to new industries, including automotive, the internet of things, and computing, and are leading the way to a world where everything and everyone can communicate and interact seamlessly.

Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of our engineering, research and development functions, and substantially all of our products and services businesses, including our QCT semiconductor business.

Qualcomm Wireless Reach

Wireless Reach invests in sustainable programs that demonstrate innovative uses of wireless technology to strengthen economic and social development globally. Our programs foster entrepreneurship, aid in public safety, enhance the delivery of health care, enrich teaching and learning, and improve environmental sustainability. Since 2006, Wireless Reach has benefitted more than 20 million people.

Qualcomm and Wireless Reach are trademarks or registered trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated.

SOURCE TaroWorks