UNICEF Venture Fund is Calling on Startups for its Climate Ventures cohort – Up to US$100,000 in Equity-Free Funding

The UNICEF Office of Innovation, through the UNICEF Venture Fund, is calling on startups to apply for its Climate Ventures cohort. This initiative focuses on supporting frontier technology solutions that address the intersection of climate change and children’s health.

The Venture Fund invests in open-source, scalable innovations from emerging markets that have the potential to create meaningful and lasting impact for children globally.

Funding Overview

Selected startups will receive:

• Up to US$100,000 in equity-free funding
• Access to mentorship and technical support
• Opportunities to scale solutions globally
• Inclusion in a five-year Climate Ventures programme

Key Requirements:

• Must be a registered company in a UNICEF programme country
• Must have a working prototype
• Must commit to open-source licensing and practices
• Should leverage frontier technologies, such as:
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI)
  • Machine Learning
  • Blockchain

Women-led startups and young founders are strongly encouraged to apply.

• Application Deadline: 17 May 2026

The Global Challenge

Climate change continues to intensify risks for children worldwide. Increasing exposure to:

• Extreme heat
• Floods and droughts
• Air pollution

is directly affecting access to healthcare, nutrition, clean water, and education.

Key global insights include:

• Approximately 1 billion children live in high climate-risk regions
• Around 466 million children experience extreme heat conditions far beyond historical norms

Despite being disproportionately affected, children remain underrepresented in climate innovation design, creating a critical gap in effective, inclusive solutions.

The Opportunity

While the climate innovation ecosystem is expanding rapidly, many solutions fail to adequately address:

• Child-specific vulnerabilities
• Health outcomes
• Local realities in emerging markets

The Climate Ventures initiative aims to bridge this gap by investing in child-centred, scalable, and locally adaptable technologies. The programme seeks to strengthen systems that protect children and build long-term resilience across communities.

Priority Innovation Areas

The Venture Fund is targeting solutions across four strategic areas:

1. Strategic Planning

Solutions should improve climate intelligence and decision-making at all levels. Examples include:

• Tools for climate hazard mapping and vulnerability scoring
• AI-driven platforms for carbon accounting and emissions tracking
• Systems linking environmental risks with health infrastructure data
• Platforms optimizing resource allocation and service delivery
• Digital tools connecting pollution data to child health outcomes

2. Early Warning and Early Action

Startups are encouraged to develop hyper-local systems that enable proactive responses. Examples include:

• Early warning systems for disease outbreaks and climate hazards
• Predictive tools for heatwaves, floods, and air quality risks
• Blockchain-enabled parametric insurance and disaster financing
• Decentralized environmental monitoring systems (e.g., air-quality sensors)

3. Healthcare Readiness

Innovations should strengthen preparedness and forecasting capabilities. Examples include:

• AI-powered predictive analytics tools for disease outbreaks
• Low-cost IoT monitoring systems for environmental conditions
• Forecasting models for malaria, dengue, and respiratory illnesses
• Platforms linking environmental data with epidemiological insights

4. Point-of-Care Support

Solutions should empower communities and frontline workers with actionable insights. Examples include:

• Localized AI models and language tools for climate-health insights
• Decentralized systems for secure health and climate data sharing
• Digital identity tools for coordinated emergency response
• AI-enabled triage and decision-support systems for health workers

Programme Impact

The Climate Ventures initiative represents the first phase of a five-year investment strategy aimed at transforming climate innovation for children. By prioritizing:

• Open-source technologies
• Data-driven decision-making
• Local adaptability
• Equity and inclusion

the programme seeks to shift the global innovation landscape toward sustainable, child-focused impact.

At its core, the initiative supports the development of resilient systems that ensure children’s health, safety, and future wellbeing in a changing climate.

Inclusion and Equity

UNICEF maintains a strong commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. The programme actively supports:

• Founders from underrepresented backgrounds
• Startups operating in low-resource environments
• Inclusive innovation that reflects local needs and realities

All initiatives align with UNICEF’s mission to ensure that every child has equal opportunity to survive and thrive, regardless of circumstances.

How to Apply

Eligible startups are encouraged to submit their applications before the deadline. Applicants should demonstrate:

• Clear impact potential on children’s health
• Strong technical innovation and scalability
• Alignment with open-source principles
• Feasibility in low-resource or emergency settings

VISIT OFFICIAL WEBSITE TO APPLY

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Disclaimer: Global South Opportunities (GSO) is not the organization offering the funding. For any inquiries, please contact the official organization directly. Please do not send your applications & CVs to GSO, as we are unable to process them. Due to the high volume of emails, we receive daily, we may not be able to respond to all inquiries. Thank you for your understanding.