UNICEF has opened applications for the 2026 cohort of Femtech Ventures, offering selected startups up to $100,000 in equity-free funding, 12 months of technical mentorship and access to its global network, including government relationships.
The program is seeking companies using frontier technologies such as AI, machine learning, blockchain and data science to improve the health, wellbeing, and sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and women. Solutions can address healthcare access, reproductive health, mental wellbeing, safety and protection.
Applicants should be registered in a UNICEF programme country, have a functional prototype and be committed to open-source licensing and practices. Women-led startups and founders younger than 35 are strongly encouraged to apply.
UNICEF is particularly interested in solutions designed for underserved communities and low-resource or emergency settings. The initiative also requires a safety-by-design approach covering data privacy, consent and user risk.
Applications close at 11:59 PM CET on 4 November 2026. The new cohort will expand on the program’s first group of 11 companies from eight countries in Africa and Asia.
Apply to UNICEF Femtech Ventures
Source: UNICEF
