UNICEF
Applications are open for the UNICEF Femtech Ventures Funding Opportunity 2026, which supports companies developing technology solutions that improve the health, wellbeing, and sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls. Through this initiative, UNICEF is seeking locally developed innovations that address persistent gaps in healthcare access, reproductive health information, mental wellbeing, safety, and economic participation in emerging markets.
The initiative is part of UNICEF Femtech Ventures, a five year programme running from 2025 to 2030 under the UNICEF Venture Fund. It invests in technology companies that understand the communities they serve and can develop solutions that respond to local needs. The second annual call will add new companies to a portfolio that already includes 11 companies from eight countries across Africa and Asia.
Selected companies can receive up to US$100,000 in equity free funding, alongside 12 months of technical mentorship and access to UNICEF’s global network, including connections with governments. This support is intended to help promising solutions strengthen their products, reach more users, and develop pathways towards wider adoption.
UNICEF Femtech Ventures aims to address inequalities in the availability and accessibility of technology designed for women and girls. Although digital tools are transforming healthcare and other essential services, many women and girls in emerging markets continue to experience barriers linked to cost, distance, stigma, limited information, and inadequate services.
The programme supports locally developed technologies that can improve health outcomes while strengthening the ability of women and girls to make informed decisions about their lives. It also recognises that solutions must be designed responsibly, with attention to privacy, informed consent, safety, and the needs of people who may have limited connectivity or access to digital devices.
The initiative seeks innovations with potential for measurable impact and wider use. Companies are encouraged to build solutions that are inclusive, adaptable to different cultural and economic settings, and capable of serving underserved populations.
• Funding: Selected companies may receive up to US$100,000 in equity free funding.
• Technical mentorship: Access to 12 months of technical mentorship to support product development and implementation.
• UNICEF network: Opportunities to connect with UNICEF’s global network, including government relationships.
• Pathways to scale: Support to position promising solutions for wider adoption and impact.
• Innovation portfolio: Selection into the UNICEF Femtech Ventures portfolio.
• Local innovation support: An opportunity to advance technology developed in response to community needs.
Applications should address one or more of the three focus areas outlined by UNICEF.
This area supports technology that improves access to quality healthcare, particularly in primary and community care settings. Relevant solutions may include:
• Digital tools that help frontline health workers interpret health data and medical images.
• Affordable screening technologies for conditions that may otherwise go undetected.
• Platforms connecting screening, referrals, and follow up care.
• Digital systems supporting maternal healthcare from pregnancy through the first years of a child’s life.
• Tools that improve the availability of essential maternal and child health supplies.
This area focuses on improving access to sexual and reproductive health information, tools, and services. Examples include:
• Artificial intelligence platforms providing accessible reproductive health information in underserved languages.
• Digital tools that help community health workers manage cases, referrals, and follow up.
• Technology that improves HPV screening and prevention services.
• Platforms that help women and girls access financing for reproductive healthcare.
• Privacy focused systems that give users greater control over sensitive health information.
This area supports innovations addressing the emotional, psychological, and digital safety needs of women, girls, and children. Potential solutions include:
• Digital mental health tools offering accessible and culturally appropriate support.
• Decision support tools helping community health workers identify mental health risks and refer people for specialist care.
• Technology supporting safe reporting and referral services for gender based violence.
• Tools that identify and respond to online harassment, abuse, and exploitation.
• Community level platforms that help teachers, health workers, and social workers recognise and respond to mental health needs.
The opportunity is intended for companies developing technology solutions with a clear social impact. UNICEF particularly encourages applications from women led startups and companies with young founders under the age of 35.
Applicants should consider the following criteria:
• The applicant should be a company developing a technology solution relevant to women’s and girls’ health, wellbeing, safety, or participation.
• The company should be registered in a UNICEF programme country.
• The solution should use frontier technology such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, or data science.
• The company should have a functional prototype.
• The company must be committed to open source licensing and principles.
• The proposed solution should address a clearly identified need and demonstrate potential for practical impact.
• The technology should be developed with appropriate attention to privacy, data protection, consent, and user safety.
• The solution should have potential to expand its reach while remaining relevant to the communities it serves.
Women led companies and startups with founders under 35 are strongly encouraged to apply. Applicants should consult UNICEF’s official guidelines to confirm the detailed eligibility and selection requirements before submitting an application.
Applicants should prepare information that clearly explains their company, technology, and intended impact. Review the official application form for the precise information and documents required.
Key areas to prepare include:
• Company registration and organisational information.
• A clear description of the technology solution and the problem it addresses.
• Details about the prototype and its current stage of development.
• An explanation of how the solution uses frontier technology.
• Evidence of the solution’s relevance to women’s and girls’ health, wellbeing, safety, or participation.
• Information about the intended users and the communities the solution will serve.
• An explanation of the company’s approach to open source licensing.
• Details about data protection, privacy, consent, and user safety.
• Information about the solution’s potential for implementation and wider adoption.
The call is designed for companies whose technology can address meaningful gaps and contribute to more equitable access to services. Applicants should demonstrate that their proposed solution responds to a genuine need and is grounded in the realities of its intended users.
Important considerations include the relevance of the solution to UNICEF’s focus areas, the maturity of the prototype, the use of frontier technology, and the potential to improve outcomes for women and girls. Responsible technology development is also important, particularly where solutions handle sensitive health information or support people facing safety risks.
Companies should explain how their technology can work in the settings where it is needed, including environments with limited connectivity or resources. Solutions that are locally grounded, inclusive, and designed with privacy and safety in mind are well aligned with the programme’s stated priorities.
UNICEF
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