UNICEF Femtech Ventures Call for Applications – Second Cohort

About

UNICEF Femtech Ventures' second cohort call offers selected emerging-market startups up to US$100,000, 12 months of technical mentorship and UNICEF network access for open-source, frontier-tech solutions improving women's and girls' health, reproductive health and wellbeing.

Benefits

• 💰Funding
  Selected companies receive up to US$100,000 in funding, described by the UNICEF Venture Fund as equity-free
• 🧑‍🏫 Technical mentorship
  Selected companies receive 12 months of technical mentorship
• 🌐UNICEF network
  Selected companies receive access to UNICEF's global network, including relationships with governments, to set solutions on pathways to scale
• 🚀Portfolio and scale support
  Selected companies join the Femtech Ventures portfolio and are supported to move solutions toward scale

Eligibility Criteria

• Core requirement: company registered in a UNICEF programme country
• Core requirement: committed to open-source licensing and principles
• Core requirement: functional prototype and results of initial testing
• Core requirement: uses frontier technologies such as generative or agentic AI, machine learning, blockchain or data science
• Expected: emerging-market company designing locally grounded solutions with potential to scale
• Preferred: women-led startups
• Preferred: founders under the age of 35
• Preferred: solutions ready to deploy in low-resource or emergency settings

Participation Commitments

• Submit a complete application form before the deadline
• Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis
• Provide company details to check eligibility for the call
• Selected companies must be committed to open-source licensing and principles
• Safety-by-design, data privacy and consent safeguards are conditions of UNICEF's investment
• Selected companies participate in 12 months of technical mentorship

Target Region

Companies registered in a UNICEF programme country

Target Sector

Healthcare & Life Sciences