UNICEF Venture Fund 2023 for Frontier Tech Solutions ($100,000 Equity Free Funding)

The UNICEF Venture Fund 2023 for Frontier Tech Solutions is now accepting applications. The UNICEF Venture Fund seeks to provide equity-free investments of up to $100,000 in for-profit start-ups creating frontier technology solutions that may positively influence the lives of the world’s most disadvantaged children and youth.

They invite you to submit if your product is registered in one of UNICEF’s program countries, is a functioning prototype, has proved outcomes, and is (or might be) open-source licensed.

Funding:

• Selected companies will receive $100,000 Equity Free Funding

Eligibility:

Only entities that fulfill these mandatory requirements will be eligible:

• Registered as a private company.
• 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:
  • for software, a BSD license,
  • 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 can be/is measured.

Evaluation Criteria:

The following criteria will be used:

• Relevance of solution for children and young people, problem-solution fit and potential for application at global scale
• Novelty of project and alignment with Innovation Principles
• Suitability of the team and key personnel to implement the project
• Project budget and financing

Application:

• Step I: Check Eligibility: Interested companies are required to check the eligibility of the Innovation Fund.
• Step II: Submit Application: Interested companies are required to submit an online application through the Fund website. You should provide the information and supporting documents indicated in the form.
• Step III: Submit Request for Proposal: The Innovation Fund reviews all applications and notifies companies of the decision. Shortlisted applicants are invited to submit a detailed proposal, this is called the Request for Proposal (RFP) step.
• Step IV: Demo Interview: After a careful review, companies shortlisted at the RFP step are invested for an online demo interview. This is usually a 30 minutes interview the with Innovation Fund team and experts from the tech teams.
• Step V: Final Result: Based on a complete assessment of the application, RFP and interview, the Innovation Fund makes the final investment decision and notifies all selected companies.

Click here to apply