Funding for startups developing blockchain solutions

The UNICEF Venture Fund invests in open-source tech solutions in emerging markets.

The goal is to support startups using blockchain to improve accountability, transparency, new financing models, and the creation of Digital Public Goods.

In addition to funding, participants receive technical mentorship, access to the UNICEF network, and support in piloting solutions. Special attention is given to female-led startups and young founders.

• Only private companies registered at the time of the Innovation Fund award (projected: 3 months from EOI submission) are eligible.
• The company must be registered in a UNICEF programme country.
• The startup must be working on open-source technology solutions or willing to become open source under the following licenses:

  • for software — GNU GPL, MIT, or BSD;

  • for hardware — CERN, MIT, or TAPR open license;

  • for design or content — CC-BY license.

• An existing prototype with promising results from initial pilots is required.
• The solution must have the potential to positively impact the lives of the most vulnerable children.
• The project must generate publicly exposed, measurable real-time data.
• Activities must align with UNICEF’s Innovation Principles.
• Early-stage startups in emerging economies leveraging blockchain with an existing functional product and real-world use cases are invited to apply.
• Woman-led startups and young founders are especially encouraged to apply.

• Selected startups receive equity-free funding of up to US$100,000.
• Funding is provided in cryptocurrency: ETH, BTC or USDC.
• In addition to financial support, selected companies receive tailored technical mentorship to support piloting, implementation and impact measurement.
• The investment period lasts 12–18 months.
• This funding is intended to validate, test, and refine technologies that can address large-scale challenges affecting children.
• Solutions that successfully graduate from seed-stage funding and are selected for growth-stage support may receive up to US$400,000 in USD and/or cryptocurrency to scale their impact.

The Fund invests in early-stage startups leveraging blockchain solutions that are deployment-ready and capable of testing effectiveness across three main areas.

Area 1: Accountability and transparency of existing services and payments

• Increasing efficiency through automation of operational processes (supply chains, vendor evaluation, verification of deliverables) and reducing transaction times.
• Platforms providing verifiable proofs of impact, both digital and analogue.
• Solutions expanding financial inclusion and secure digital aid delivery, including for unbanked populations.
• Tools enhancing accountability via public blockchains, including tamper-proof records, audit trails, and anti-diversion mechanisms.
• Automated payments through oracle services and APIs using real-world data.
• Due diligence solutions (e.g., automated KYC, crypto-forensics screening).

Area 2: New financing and local governance models

• Use of web3 mechanisms (staking, crowdfunding) to improve the lives of children and communities.
• Marketplaces connecting financiers or philanthropists with SDG-oriented impact projects.
• Reporting, validation and tokenization of impact delivery, including monetization models (e.g., impact credits).
• Innovative fundraising and fund disbursement mechanisms focused on cryptocurrency or stablecoin donations.
• New approaches to community engagement for data collection and decision-making.

Area 3: Digital Public Goods (DPGs) and sustainable models

• Aggregation platforms supporting fundraising for DPGs.
• Decentralized bounty platforms encouraging open-source contributions.
• Matchmaking solutions to enable adoption and scale of DPGs.
• Platforms valuing and communicating the impact of open-source DPGs within web3 ecosystems.
• New governance models such as DAOs, decentralized storage, and community resource allocation.
• Engagement of online communities, including non-coding contributors, in advancing DPG development.

Additionally, the Fund supports startups applying distributed ledger technology in innovative, scalable, and globally applicable ways.

• Interested companies must check eligibility criteria on the official website.
• Eligible applicants are required to complete and submit the online Expression of Interest (EOI) form via www.unicefinnovationfund.org.
• The EOI form must include all requested information and supporting documents. Completion takes approximately 30 minutes.
• The REOI does not constitute a solicitation and does not require full proposals at this stage; it is solely an expression of interest.
• Submission of an EOI does not automatically ensure selection for the subsequent Request for Proposals (RFP).
• Shortlisted companies will be invited to submit a full proposal (RFP) and participate in an interview.
• UNICEF reserves the right to amend or cancel the requirement at any time during the REOI process and may introduce additional conditions when issuing the final tender/RFP documents.

• Company registration certificate.
• Documents confirming IP ownership (or Open Source transition plan).
• Financial statements (at the RFP stage).

Companies must provide publicly accessible real-time data to monitor progress. Selected companies sign an institutional contract with UNICEF.

• UNICEF is an international intergovernmental organization, established by UN General Assembly Resolution No. 57(I) of 11 December 1946 as a subsidiary organ of the United Nations. It is headquartered in New York and operates in over 160 countries (more than 260 locations).
• Its work advances children’s rights to survival, protection, health, development and participation in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
• UNICEF is committed to upholding the rights of every child, ensuring that no child is denied opportunities based on race, ethnicity, gender, disability, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status or any other status.
• The organization maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward discrimination, harassment and exclusion across its programmes, partnerships and workplace.
• UNICEF promotes an inclusive environment where diversity is valued and all individuals are treated with fairness, dignity and respect.
• The definition of disability follows the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, recognizing long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments that, in interaction with the environment, may hinder full and equal participation in society.