UNICEF Venture Fund

Donor: UNICEF

About: The UNICEF Venture Fund supports early-stage, open-source frontier technology solutions from emerging markets. It provides equity-free funding, mentorship, and access to UNICEF’s network to help innovators develop and scale technologies that benefit children and youth. The fund aims to create digital public goods that can be widely adopted and adapted, focusing on solutions that address significant challenges faced by children worldwide. With a commitment to investing in underserved markets, the fund offers both seed and growth funding to help startups validate, test, and scale their innovative solutions.

Focus:
– Frontier technology
– Open-source development
– Digital public goods
– Child welfare
– Innovation
– Entrepreneurship
– Emerging markets

Region: UNICEF programme countries

Eligibility:
– Be registered as a private for-profit company
– Be registered in a UNICEF programme country
– Have an existing prototype of the Open Source solution with promising results from initial pilots
– Have the potential to positively impact the lives of the most vulnerable children
– Generate publicly exposed real-time data that is measurable
– Be working on a Open Source frontier technology solution

Benefits:
– Up to $100,000 in seed funding
– Up to $400,000 in growth funding
– Tailored mentorship
– Access to UNICEF network and partners
– Potential follow-on funding

Terms:
– Equity-free funding: Financial support provided without taking an ownership stake in the company.
– Open-source: Software or technology that is freely available for use, modification, and distribution.
– Digital public goods: Technologies that are openly licensed, freely accessible, and designed to benefit the public.
– Frontier technology: Emerging and innovative technologies that have the potential to create significant impact and change.
– Seed funding: Initial capital provided to startups to help them develop their ideas and products.
– Growth funding: Financial support provided to startups that have shown promising results and are ready to scale their operations.
– Mentorship: Guidance and support provided by experienced individuals to help startups develop their skills and strategies.
– UNICEF network: A global network of partners, experts, and resources that UNICEF provides access to for supported startups.