UNICEF Femtech Ventures Funding 2026 for Startups [Up to USD 100,000; Equity-Free]: Apply by Nov 4

UNICEF Femtech Ventures is inviting applications from eligible companies developing open-source frontier-technology solutions for the health, wellbeing, safety and sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and women. Selected companies may receive up to USD 100,000 in equity-free funding and 12 months of technical mentorship.

About the UNICEF Venture Fund

The UNICEF Venture Fund is UNICEF’s innovation-financing platform. It invests in early-stage, open-source technology solutions developed in emerging economies to improve outcomes for children and young people.

Since 2014, the Fund has invested in more than 100 early-stage companies. Its support combines equity-free funding with technical mentoring, access to UNICEF’s international network and opportunities to test and scale solutions.

About UNICEF Femtech Ventures

UNICEF Femtech Ventures is a five-year initiative running from 2025 to 2030. It supports locally developed technology solutions that expand access to healthcare, wellbeing services and sexual and reproductive health and rights for girls and women in emerging markets.

The initiative follows a hyperlocal approach by supporting solutions designed within the communities they intend to serve. It also emphasises safety-by-design, data privacy, informed consent and protection from user risks.

The first cohort comprised 11 companies from eight countries across Africa and Asia. This second call will select the programme’s next cohort of investees.

About the Funding Opportunity

UNICEF Femtech Ventures is looking for early- and growth-stage companies using frontier technologies to address persistent gaps in the health, wellbeing and safety of girls and women.

Eligible technologies may include:

Artificial intelligence
Generative and agentic AI
Machine learning
Blockchain
Data science
Other emerging or frontier technologies

UNICEF is particularly interested in solutions that can operate in low-resource, low-bandwidth or emergency settings and have the potential to scale beyond their initial communities.

Funding and Support

Selected companies will receive:

Up to USD 100,000 in equity-free funding.
Twelve months of technical mentorship.
Access to UNICEF’s global network.
Opportunities to engage with governments and other institutional partners.
Support in developing a pathway to scale.
Guidance on open-source development, data protection, safeguarding and responsible technology design.

“Up to USD 100,000” represents the maximum available support and does not necessarily mean that every selected company will receive the full amount.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants should ordinarily meet the following requirements:

The applicant must be a legally registered company.
The company must be registered in a UNICEF programme country.
It must be developing a locally grounded solution relevant to girls’ and women’s health, wellbeing, safety or sexual and reproductive health and rights.
The solution must use frontier technology such as AI, machine learning, blockchain or data science.
The company must have a functional prototype.
The solution should demonstrate the potential to scale.
The applicant must be willing to comply with open-source licensing and development principles.
The company should be prepared to address data protection, informed consent, safeguarding and user safety.

This opportunity is intended for registered companies with working prototypes. Individuals with only an initial idea and organisations unable to meet the open-source requirement may not be suitable for this funding call.

Who Is Encouraged to Apply?

UNICEF strongly encourages applications from:

Women-led companies.
Young founders under 35 years of age.
Companies based close to the communities and challenges they address.
Teams developing solutions for underserved populations.
Companies building technology for low-resource or emergency settings.

Being women-led or having a founder below 35 is encouraged but is not stated as a mandatory eligibility requirement.

Focus Areas

Applications are invited under the following three pillars.

Pillar 1: Healthcare Access for Women and Girls

This pillar supports technologies that improve access to quality care across the maternal, newborn and child-health continuum.

Relevant solutions may include:

Point-of-care tools that automatically interpret medical data or imagery.
Affordable screening tools for anaemia, haemoglobinopathies, ferritin status, thyroid conditions and other frequently undetected health concerns.
Platforms connecting screening, referral and follow-up services.
Maternal-health platforms supporting continuity of care from conception through the first 1,000 days of a child’s life.
Remote-care tools designed for low-bandwidth environments.
Demand-forecasting and supply-planning solutions for maternal and child-health supplies.
Platforms incorporating health-worker staffing, workload and training data.

Pillar 2: Informed, Safe and Accessible Reproductive Health

This pillar seeks solutions that help girls and women obtain reliable information, tools and services related to their sexual and reproductive health.

Relevant solutions may include:

AI-powered reproductive-health information and counselling platforms.
Tools available in underserved languages and accessible to people with limited literacy.
Platforms designed for low-bandwidth environments.
Digital case-management, referral and follow-up tools for community health workers.
Technologies improving HPV detection, screening and prevention services.
Platforms that facilitate access to financing or health coverage for reproductive healthcare.
Privacy-preserving technologies that allow users to control how sensitive health data is collected and used.

Pillar 3: Mental Wellbeing, Safety and Protection

This pillar covers the psychological, emotional and digital safety needs of women, girls and children.

Relevant solutions may include:

Culturally appropriate digital mental-health tools.
Systems integrating maternal mental-health screening into platforms such as DHIS2.
Decision-support tools for community health workers.
AI-enabled tools for detecting and responding to gender-based violence.
Safe reporting and referral platforms.
Technologies addressing online abuse, harassment and exploitation.
Social-media monitoring and AI-based detection systems.
Tools that train teachers, community health workers and social workers to identify and respond to mental-health and safety risks.

Open-Source Requirement

Applicants must be committed to open-source licensing and principles.

This requirement generally means that selected companies should be willing to make relevant parts of their technological solution openly available under an appropriate licence. Applicants should review UNICEF’s open-source approach before submitting an application.

The precise open-source obligations applicable to selected companies should be confirmed through the application documents and funding agreement.

Selection Priorities

UNICEF is seeking solutions that demonstrate:

A clear and locally validated problem.
A functional technology prototype.
Relevance to the needs of girls and women in emerging markets.
Innovative use of frontier technology.
Potential for responsible scaling.
Suitability for underserved or low-resource environments.
Strong privacy, safeguarding and consent practices.
Commitment to open-source development.
Potential for measurable social impact.

How to Apply?

Eligible companies can submit their applications through the online application form.

Applicants should carefully review the UNICEF Venture Fund application process and confirm that their country, company, prototype and open-source commitments satisfy the programme requirements.

Click here to apply for UNICEF Femtech Ventures Funding 2026.

Application Deadline

Applications must be submitted by November 4, 2026.

The announcement does not specify a closing time or time zone. Applicants are therefore advised to complete their submissions well before the deadline.