The UNICEF Venture Fund 2025 for Fem Tech Solutions  (US$100K in equity-free investments)

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The UNICEF Venture Fund is calling for applications from start-ups developing cutting edge tech solutions improving access to quality health care and services, and ensuring socio-economic participation of women and girls. 

Technology is advancing rapidly, but at a pace that risks widening gaps between those who benefit and those who don’t.  Where solutions are available, they are often inaccessible either by design or intent because the needs of diverse groups of people are not considered, and licensing and business models exclude a vast network of innovators that can adapt them to benefit disadvantaged and marginalised groups.

The UNICEF Venture Fund will identify solutions that go beyond healthcare—ones that empower women and girls holistically. This means addressing their specific needs in ways that recognize the circumstances that affect them disproportionately or differently while tackling the social and economic drivers that shape their participation, agency, and well-being.

UNICEF Venture Fund Benefits

The Fund is offering up to US$100K in equity-free funding to early-stage, for-profit startups leveraging frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), data science, and blockchain for social impact.

Eligibility Criteria

Applications are open to start-ups in low- and middle-income economies developing Open Source technology that improves health outcomes, economic participation, or access to essential services for women and girls. Women-led startups and young founders (under the age of 35) are strongly encouraged to apply.

They are especially seeking applications from companies:

Registered in a UNICEF programme country
Working with a functional prototype
Committed to Open Source licensing and principles .

UNICEF Venture Fund Focus Areas

We are seeking early-stage, for-profit startups that use frontier technologies in three key areas:

1: To improve health outcomes for women and girls i.e 

Digital health solutions for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment
AI-driven or data-powered platforms for maternal, reproductive, and adolescent health
On-demand referral services for access to healthcare and culturally relevant information

2: Address unique challenges faced by women and girls  i.e  

Closing the gender data gap to drive inclusive decision-making
Improving accessibility of platforms for underserved communities, including persons with disabilities
Designing solutions that address gender-specific challenges in different cultural and economic contexts

3: Empower women and girls socially and economically i.e.  