Applications are open for UNICEF Venture Fund Call – Gender-Responsive Innovation Challenge.
About the Award: The UNICEF Venture Fund is committed to diversity and inclusion in its approach to early-stage investing and catalyzing novel innovations developed by startups leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), data science (DS), drones, blockchain, or extended reality (XR). These innovations aim to address the unmet needs of marginalized and underserved children and their families.
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In collaboration with GITEX Africa, the Venture Fund launches The Gender- Responsive Innovation Challenge (GRIC).
The challenge
Recognizing structural and systemic barriers in the technology sector which lead to the dominance of certain types of solutions and founders, the UNICEF Venture Fund is seeking to facilitate an inclusive and gender-responsive innovation in three key areas:
Area 1: Investing in diverse and underrepresented founders (especially women founders)
Area 2: Increasing the availability of digital products and services that can solve the specific unmet needs of vulnerable and underrepresented populations (such as children, women, people living with disabilities and refugees)
Area 3: Facilitating inclusive user design in the development of innovation to
The GRIC is an opportunity to recognise companies leading the way for developing gender-responsive solutions and/or businesses in Africa. Its primary objective is to identify, recognise and invest in companies facilitating outcomes that can help close the gender gap.
Eligible Field(s): We are currently looking to invest in companies that are using machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain or extended reality (virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR)) technologies to build software solutions that respond to the four broad categories of digital risks to children: Content, Contact, Conduct and Contract Risks.nb
Type: Entrepreneurship
Eligibility:
IS YOUR COMPANY WORKING ON AN INNOVATIVE GENDER-RESPONSIVE SOLUTION IN AFRICA?
The Venture Fund will select five outstanding companies in gender-responsive innovation which will receive an award:
The selection committee comprised of GITEX Africa and UNICEF Venture Fund will evaluate the nominated companies according to the defined criteria to assess and select the winners of the challenge.
GRIC winners will be announced at GITEX Africa Summit conference on 29-31 May in Marrakech, Morrocco.
Companies will receive mentorship and technical assistance from Venture Fund experts to enhance their investment readiness and potential for future funding from the Venture Fund. It will comprise:
- 10 hours of technical mentoring consisting of Open Source, business development, frontier technology, software development, diversity, equity, and inclusion mentorship,
- Additional support to understand and navigate the Venture Fund sourcing and selection process.
The Venture Fund continues to seek further collaborations with values-aligned partners to support innovation challenges, design sprints and deliver strategic technical assistance to build greater equity and trust across technological solutions.
Apply to this opportunity if your company is working on a frontier tech solution addressing any gender disparity in Africa.
Eligible Countries: UNICEF Venture Fund only accepts submissions from companies registered in UNICEF programme countries. See the list of countries here.
Number of Awards: Not specified
Value of Award:
Companies will receive mentorship and technical assistance from Venture Fund experts to enhance their investment readiness and potential for future funding from the Venture Fund. It will comprise:
- 10 hours of technical mentoring consisting of Open Source, business development, frontier technology, software development, diversity, equity, and inclusion mentorship,
- Additional support to understand and navigate the Venture Fund sourcing and selection process.
How to Apply: APPLY NOW
- Read the full Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI) document here
- Submit your Expression of Interest above
- It is important to go through all application requirements in the Award Webpage (see Link below) before applying.
- GOODLUCK
Visit Award Webpage for Details
