We invest in early-stage frontier tech solutions from emerging markets that can benefit children and youth

Projects are assessed by UNICEF Venture Fund team and recommended for funding to the internal board.

Companies need to fulfill the following mandatory requirements to be considered for funding: 

• Be registered as a private for-profit company
• Be registered in a UNICEF programme country. See the list of eligible countries here.
• Have an existing prototype of the Open Source solution with promising results from initial pilots
• Have the potential to positively impact the lives of the most vulnerable children.
• Generate publicly exposed real-time data that is measurable.
• Be working on a Open Source* frontier technology solution.

*Open source software is software that can be freely used, modified, and shared (in both modified and unmodified form) by anyone. For a comprehensive definition, see the Open Source Initiative's Definition.

If your solution isn't already Open Source when you apply, we expect it to be made available as such. We recommend the following licenses:

• Software: Choose from the Open Source Initiative approved licenses, such as one of the GNU public licenses, BSD license, or MIT license.
• Hardware: CERN, MIT, or TAPR licenses.
• Design or Content: CC-BY license.

Read more about the Request for Expression of Interest.

The UNICEF Venture Fund is looking for:

• Solutions developing new technology
• Solutions expanding/improving existing technologies and platforms (i.e. it will be in a place where the technology is being used but will involve new tech being built)
• Solution is a new application or is piloting a new use case for an existing technology (i.e little or no new technology will be built and it will be used in the same place).

To qualify for our investment, the solution you aim to get funded by us has to be Open Source or you need to indicate you are willing to place it on an open Open Source license.
 
We don’t require your whole company or all the technologies you develop to be Open Source, but if your  solution you submitted receives our investment, it has to have an Open Source license by month six of our investment period (one year). The UNICEF team has Open Source mentorship that can help the startups in choosing the most appropriate Open Source license.
 
Please note that solutions that meet all the criteria and are entirely Open Source (from end-to-end; server to app; hardware to software etc.) will be given priority in the selection process.
 
Using specific examples:
If there is a specific product, such as control software for a rover - that is Open Source, it will meet the criteria.  If this product connects to a larger ecosystem that is fully Open Source, then that is the best possible scenario.
 
If it connects to proprietary hardware, the assessment will look at how independent the Open Source component is. i.e. what kind of applicability it could have if applied to other scenarios. If the dependencies are too great on a single and proprietary hardware element, it will get less traction.
 
For example, U-Report is a full (server-to-app) Open Source environment. It runs on ‘proprietary’ hardware (i.e. mobile phones), but it runs on any phone because it uses SMS. In this case, a market assessment and tech evaluation were done, and a merging of proprietary and Open Source tools still made the global application possible. The same could be true for UAV software (i.e. image analysis): the Venture Fund could invest in a piece of software created that could work on images from any drone. The hardware would still be proprietary, but the tool we are investing in (and that we will put in the public domain) is open.
 
The same applies to a mobile app. If an Open Source app connects only to a proprietary server-side backend then the app would not qualify for investment. We wouldn’t be able to reuse it.  In this case, the investment can be only for very specific Open Source pieces of code and environment. This is more likely to be successful than a bundle, as we can assess their viability easily.

No. Only private companies are eligible.

No, team members don't need to have a degree or specific qualification. UNICEF Venture Fund will assess the suitability of the team and key personnel to implement the solution.

The team members’ formation and experience in similar projects will be an asset for the Expression Of Interest.

Individuals cannot submit Expressions Of Interest. The entity submitting an expression of interest needs to be a private company legally registered.

NGOs or CSOs are not eligible to submit an expression of interest for funding through this investment vehicle. If you are a NGO or CSO working on a great prototype, we suggest you to approach UNICEF country office in your country to learn about other funding and partnership opportunities available. 

The company that submits the expression of interest needs to be registered in a UNICEF Programme Country. If the company is partnered with one or more companies in the country (ies) where the product or service will be used, it is recommended that the expression of interest be submitted by the partner company registered in the UNICEF Programme Country.

If the funding is awarded, the partner company registered in the UNICEF Programme Country will enter into a contractual agreement with UNICEF and will be accountable for all the contractual responsibilities with UNICEF.

In this case the company should be the entity submitting the REOI. The companies submitting the REOI are asked to list partners and advisors and it is possible to list an NGO as partner. UNICEF will issue Institutional Corporate Contracts to the successful applicants and it is the company that bears all the contractual responsibilities vis-a-vis UNICEF.

You are eligible to apply when you have an active prototype.

We consider an active prototype the one that works and has generated some initial data to confirm this. You can expand or improve the prototype on the basis of data generated during the investment period.

No, there is not a maximum or minimum.

Yes, but if the core team does not have the necessary technical expertise, the company should explain in their expression of interest in the relevant questions what type of technical expertise their partners or advisors are able to provide. 

To be eligible for funding, companies should be generating real-time data that is publicly accessible and can be measured. If real-time data is not currently being collected, the application will be evaluated based on the proposed plan to set up, collect, display, and analyze such data during the project's implementation. This plan must be clearly stated in the Expression of Interest.
If the funding request involves the development of new technology, real-time data will be required to track the progress of the project. If the project seeks support for the application or piloting of a solution, the real-time data should demonstrate progress in that area.
This data will help share the company's progress and experiences with UNICEF and other companies working in similar fields. The data will be displayed on a publicly accessible real-time reporting website, showcasing the Fund's performance, each portfolio's status, and information about each company or project that has received investment. The website will also present stories about each project.

In the Expression of Interest form, the company will be asked about the licensing of the technology. We invest in Open Source technology solutions - or willing to be. Open License means the following terms or their equivalent as specified in the Project Design Statement and Budget:
 

• For software, one of the Open Source Initiative approved licenses, like a GNU general public license, a BSD license or an MIT license,
• For hardware, a CERN license, MIT license or TAPR license and
• for design or content, a CC-BY license.

You can provide a timeline for going Open Source. It is recommended that you supply as much information as possible to motivate how your idea will be Open Source.

The company will need to provide some type of real-time data that can be accessed through Internet. The companies selected for funding will sign an institutional contract with UNICEF.  The contract will be subject to the same UNICEF terms and conditions that will be detailed in the RFP, which includes requirements related to open source licensing of the solution.

The UNICEF Venture Fund does not seek a financial return nor does it take equity - the Open Source code or hardware the company develops and tests is UNICEF’s “equity”.

In the initial phase of your project, you are considered to be in the startup stage when you have a working prototype. At this point, you require a small amount of money to demonstrate its functionality to others. Perhaps you need to hire a couple of additional developers or seek design assistance to effectively convey the capabilities of your project. You might also need server space or refactor some parts into a different programming language to ensure scalability. Conducting tests in new areas and collecting data points are also essential. While these investments are not substantial, the Innovation Fund can provide assistance to expedite your progress.

An eligible company can submit more than one expression of interest for different projects. Each will be assessed independently based on the criteria. The funding cap will be applied to each application.

If you have any additional question about this REOI, please submit questions through the Contact Us form. Answers to all questions submitted will be shared publicly.

UNICEF Venture Fund only accepts submissions from companies registered in UNICEF programme countries. See the list of countries here. 

There are a number of sustainable business models built around Open Source solutions. Open Source licenses do not necessarily compromise the sustainability of your business. If you are willing to Open Source your technology, you can still apply and indicate this in the submission.

The company will need to provide some type of real-time data that can be accessed through Internet. The companies selected for funding will sign an institutional contract with UNICEF.  The contract will be subject to the same UNICEF terms and conditions that will be detailed in the RFP, which includes requirements related to open source licensing of the solution.

The UNICEF Venture Fund does not seek a financial return nor does it take equity - the Open Source code or hardware the company develops and tests is UNICEF’s “equity”.

The company will need to provide some type of real-time data that can be accessed through Internet. The companies selected for funding will sign an institutional contract with UNICEF.  The contract will be subject to the same UNICEF terms and conditions that will be detailed in the RFP, which includes requirements related to open source licensing of the solution.

The UNICEF Venture Fund does not seek a financial return nor does it take equity - the Open Source code or hardware the company develops and tests is UNICEF’s “equity”.

Selected companies will be contacted with information about the outcome and next steps.

The funding from UNICEF Venture Fund is equity free. The company will be requested to Open Source the IP of the product or idea funded and will be the Open Source license holder. In addition, the real-time data collected will be shared publicly. The company will own all other intellectual property.

UNICEF will issue Institutional Corporate Contracts to the successful applicants.The participating entity - a private company- needs to be legal entities, meaning registered companies in order for UNICEF to have a contractual relationship with them. The companies that are selected for funding will need to register as a vendor/supplier with UNICEF.