ABSTRACT
The digital gap is a social problem that the COVID-19 pandemic has made more visible, primarily affecting the lives of excluded populations. During this time, the universities have been forced to move to virtual models to continue education. This paper presents a case study showing how universities can leverage this situation to reduce the digital gap through social innovation projects. The case study is a university "i-Experience"in summer 2020 with five native social community organizations in Chiapas, Mexico. These organizations mainly engage in the production and commercialization of coffee, honey, woven embroidered clothing, and tourism through cultural routes. Due to the pandemic, their sales were greatly affected, and they sought new digital marketing strategies and the necessary digital skills. The university students developed 18 digital social innovation projects that met this need. The projects were reviewed and their stages validated. Areas of opportunity were identified to scale the projects to positively transform the lives of these communities through technological appropriation. © 2021 ACM.