UNICEF Femtech Ventures 2026 — Funding Opportunity for Femtech Solutions

Who can apply

• Legally registered private for-profit technology companies in UNICEF programme countries
• Early-stage technology startups with functional prototypes
• Technology companies with initial results from prototype testing or piloting
• Companies developing frontier technology solutions for women’s and girls’ health, wellbeing or protection
• Companies working with artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, data science or other relevant frontier technologies
• Companies developing open-source solutions or willing to release their funded solutions under appropriate open-source licences
• Companies with credible potential to improve outcomes for vulnerable children, women and girls
• Women-founded and women-led startups are strongly encouraged to apply
• Youth-founded and youth-led startups with founders younger than 35 are strongly encouraged to apply
• Companies developing solutions for underserved and low-resource communities
• Eligible private companies working in collaboration with nonprofit organisations or other technical partners

Focus areas

• Healthcare access for women and girls
• Sexual and reproductive health and rights
• Maternal health
• Antenatal and postnatal care
• Newborn and child health
• Primary and community healthcare
• Point-of-care diagnostics
• Affordable health screening technologies
• Artificial intelligence for healthcare
• Machine learning and data science for health
• Health referral and follow-up systems
• Continuity of maternal healthcare
• Community health worker digital tools
• Health supply forecasting and planning
• Accessible reproductive health information
• Multilingual reproductive health platforms
• Human papillomavirus screening and prevention
• Digital health financing and coverage
• Health data privacy and informed consent
• Mental wellbeing and psychosocial support
• Maternal and adolescent mental health
• Gender-based violence prevention and response
• Digital safety for women and girls
• Online abuse and exploitation prevention
• Frontline worker decision-support tools
• Open-source health technologies
• Inclusive and accessible technology
• Low-bandwidth and low-resource digital health solutions
• Responsible and safe frontier technology

Requirements

• The applicant must be legally registered as a private for-profit company.
• The company must be registered in an eligible UNICEF programme country.
• Individuals, universities, NGOs and civil society organisations are not eligible to apply directly.
• The proposed solution must address a relevant health, wellbeing, reproductive health, safety or protection challenge affecting women and girls.
• The solution must use relevant frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain or data science.
• The applicant must have a functioning prototype rather than a concept-only idea.
• The prototype must have generated initial testing or piloting results that can be described and demonstrated.
• The proposed technology must be open source or the applicant must be willing to release the funded solution under an appropriate open-source licence.
• Selected companies must comply with UNICEF's open-source licensing requirements, including licensing the funded solution by month six of the investment period.
• Applicants must provide a valid and accessible link to the technology repository, such as GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket.
• Private repositories must be made accessible to UNICEF's designated reviewers.
• The solution must demonstrate credible potential for measurable social impact.
• Applicants must explain how project progress and impact will be measured using real-time data or provide a credible plan for establishing such reporting.
• Applicants must demonstrate appropriate attention to data protection, privacy, consent, safeguarding and user safety.
• Applicants must provide information on their company, leadership team, technical capacity and current stage of development.
• Applicants must explain the local problem, proposed solution, technologies used and results from initial testing.
• Applicants must provide realistic milestones for the next 12 months.
• Applicants must indicate the amount of funding requested and provide relevant financial and company information.
• Applicants must submit a pitch video lasting no more than two minutes.
• The pitch video must show the real team and a demonstration of the working solution.
• AI-generated avatars, synthetic voices and AI-generated video footage are not accepted as substitutes for the required authentic pitch.
• Applications must be submitted in English.
• Women-led ownership and leadership and founder age under 35 are encouraged but are not mandatory eligibility requirements.

Application steps

• Visit the official UNICEF Femtech Ventures funding announcement.
• Review the UNICEF Venture Fund eligibility requirements and confirm the company's country of registration is eligible.
• Open the official UNICEF Femtech Ventures online application form.
• Confirm that the applicant is a legally registered private for-profit company.
• Confirm that the proposed solution is open source or that the company is willing to make the funded solution open source.
• Provide the company's legal registration country.
• Complete the company and founder information, including leadership details and contact information.
• Select the programme pillar or pillars that best match the proposed solution.
• Describe the local problem affecting women or girls and explain how the technology addresses it.
• Explain the frontier technologies used and their role in the proposed solution.
• Describe the existing prototype and provide evidence from initial testing or piloting.
• Provide a valid repository link to the solution's source code or relevant technical materials.
• Prepare realistic project targets and implementation milestones for the next 12 months.
• Identify actual partners and advisers involved in the solution.
• State the amount of funding requested, up to US$100,000.
• Provide the requested company revenue and information on previous or existing project contributions.
• Record a pitch video of no more than two minutes showing the real team and a live demonstration or screen recording of the working solution.
• Upload the pitch video to YouTube, using an unlisted video if preferred, and include the link in the application.
• Review the complete application and submit it online in English by 11 November 2026 at 11:59 PM CET.
• Shortlisted companies may be invited to submit a more detailed proposal and participate in a subsequent technical demonstration interview.