UNICEF Femtech Ventures

The UNICEF Femtech Ventures Call for Applications delivered by the UNICEF Office of Innovation through the UNICEF Venture Fund, provides equity-free capital and technical mentorship to early-stage technology startups leveraging frontier tech (AI, machine learning, blockchain, data science) to address critical health, safety, and reproductive rights challenges for women and girls in emerging markets.

• Direct Capital Injection: Up to $100,000 USD in equity-free venture funding (disbursed in fiat or cryptocurrency, e.g., ETH/BTC).

• Equity Terms: 0% Equity / 100% Non-Dilutive (0% equity taken; no repayment, warrants, or tuition fees).

• Technical Mentorship & Scaling: 12 months of 1-on-1 technical and business growth mentorship, regulatory support, and direct access to UNICEF's global network, health ministries, and country offices.

Submissions must utilize frontier tech to address at least one of the following priority areas:

1. Pillar 1: Healthcare Access for Women & Girls: Point-of-care diagnostics, automated screening tools (e.g., anemia, thyroid, health monitoring), maternal/child health management, and supply chain planning.

2. Pillar 2: Informed, Safe & Accessible Reproductive Health: Digital platforms providing confidential, localized sexual/reproductive health information, digital decision-support systems, and privacy-preserving data tools.

3. Pillar 3: Mental Wellbeing, Safety & Protection: Digital mental health interventions, AI detection/response for gender-based violence (GBV), online safety/anti-harassment detection, and trauma support tools.

To qualify, applicant companies must strictly meet all mandatory requirements:

1. Country Registration: Must be registered as a private for-profit entity in a UNICEF Programme Country (spanning regions across Africa, Asia-Pacific, MENA, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia).

2. Open-Source Mandate: Must be committed to open-source licensing for all software, hardware, or content developed under the grant (e.g., GNU GPL, MIT, BSD, or CC-BY licenses).

3. Product Maturity: Must have a functional working prototype with early pilot data or field-testing evidence (pure concept/idea-stage projects are ineligible).

4. Target Leadership: Women-led startups and young founders (under age 35) are strongly prioritized for selection.