Deadline: 17Th May 2026.
UNICEF Venture Fund calls on startups developing frontier tech solutions for children at the intersection of climate and health to join its Climate Ventures cohort.
The UNICEF Venture Fund invests in open-source frontier technology solutions from emerging markets. For this call for applications, they are seeking proposals from climate-focused startups developing open-source frontier technology solutions that have the potential to create radical change for children. They are actively seeking companies that push the boundaries with frontier technologies in innovative and scalable ways with global relevance.
Benefits
We are offering up to US$100,000 in equity-free funding for early-stage and ready-to-deploy technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and blockchain.
Requirment
- The Venture Fund champions diversity, inclusion and frontier tech innovation by backing early- and growth-stage startups leveraging AI, machine learning, blockchain and other frontier technologies, especially those that are ready to deploy in low-resource or emergency settings.
- Area 1: Strategic planning
- Area 2: Early warning, early action
- Area 3: Healthcare readiness
- Area 4: Point-of-care support
Eligibility
UNICEF is looking to provide investment-style funding to early-stage technology startups. Only entities that fulfill these mandatory requirements will be considered eligible:
- Registered as a private company at the time of the Innovation Fund award (projected: 3 months from submission of EOI)
- A private company registered in a UNICEF programme country
- Working on open source technology solutions (or willing to be open source) under the following licenses or their equivalent:
(i) for software, a GNU General Public license, MIT or BSD,
(ii) for hardware, a CERN, MIT or TAPR open license and
(iii) for design or content, a CC-BY license - An existing prototype of the open source solution with promising results from initial pilots
- Solution has the potential to positively impact the lives of the most vulnerable children
- Generating publicly exposed real-time data that is measurable
- UNICEF’s Innovation Principles
For more information and application.