UNICEF Startup Lab 2024 Demo Day: 25 Tech-Enabled Social Impact Startups Present Innovative Solutions to Advance the SDGs for Children

Accra, Ghana – October 31, 2024 — Today, 25 social impact startups graduated from the fourth Cohort of the UNICEF StartUp Lab accelerator programme following a showcase of their innovative businesses at the 2024 Demo Day. These 25 startups are leveraging technology to address critical development challenges in diverse sectors, such as education, health, WASH, agriculture and in cross-cutting areas such as financial inclusion, disability, and climate action, with the aim of improving the lives of children, adolescents and families in Ghana and beyond. The event underscored the commitment of Ghana’s young business leaders to advance progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through innovative solutions. 

The UNICEF Startup Lab accelerator programme, which was established by UNICEF in 2019, is implemented by MEST Africa and supported by KOICA (the Korea International Cooperation Agency), as part of a project with UNICEF entitled the "KOICA-UNICEF Accelerating Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Ghana". Throughout the 6-month programme, the startups collaborated with UNICEF technical specialists and industry experts to strengthen their businesses, refine their products and services, and gain insight into market dynamics to enhance their reach and social impact. They were also introduced to international and national investment opportunities, including the UNICEF Venture Fund and the Digital Public Goods Alliance. To date, the programme has graduated 78 startups. 

Speaking at the event, Osama Makkawi Khogali, UNICEF Representative in Ghana, emphasized, "Today’s Demo Day is a testament to the innovative spirit of Ghana’s youth. These startups have demonstrated not only their technological prowess, but also their deep commitment to creating a brighter future for children and adolescents, including the most vulnerable. I am delighted to welcome this new cohort of 25 graduates into a growing community of business leaders, founders and entrepreneurs in Ghana that are actively working to address some of the most pressing development challenges impacting children here and beyond.  I am convinced that together we are empowering a new generation of change-makers to promote solutions that can be scaled nationally and globally." 

“The Korean Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Park Kyongsig, highlighted, 'Startups are not only the future but the present drivers of innovation and progress. Investing in young Ghanaian entrepreneurs aligns with our shared goal of sustainable growth and inclusive development, as emphasized at the Korea-Africa Summit. South Korea is committed to leveraging technology and collaboration to empower the next generation of leaders in Africa, fostering economic resilience and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for children and youth across both regions.  

Ashwin Ravichandran, Managing Director of MEST Africa, commented, "These startups have dedicated themselves to refining their solutions, fully immersing themselves in the UNICEF Startup Lab program to maximize their impact. Today stands as proof that entrepreneurship is a craft that can be taught, and we are witnessing the remarkable results of their hard work and commitment."

Kafui Prebbie, founder of TechAide, and participant of the fourth cohort shared that "Being part of the UNICEF Startup Lab has been a transformative experience for us. The mentorship, resources, and exposure we received through this program have been invaluable in helping us refine our solution and scale our impact. Thanks to the program, we had the opportunity to connect with key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Education, which has significantly enhanced our ability to make a difference. We are also excited about the possibilities that lie ahead, particularly in contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals through Digital Public Goods." 

In his remarks, Fiachra McAsey, UNICEF Deputy Representative, reflected, "For the past four years, the UNICEF StartUp Lab has been engaging with Ghana’s social impact startups to help transform the lives of children, families and communities by addressing the most pressing challenges they face. We believe that by leveraging the business sector, harnessing technology, innovation and creativity of startups, and by connecting their solutions with national systems we can accelerate progress towards advancing the rights and wellbeing of every child, which is at the heart of our collective mission. As a convener, UNICEF will continue to champion open-source innovation and Digital Public Goods, provide a platform for discovering, testing and scale impactful solutions, and create an enabling environment where innovation and entrepreneurship of social impact can thrive—especially where it benefits the most vulnerable in society."

About UNICEF Startup Lab

Launched in 2019, the UNICEF Startup Lab is a six-month accelerator program that empowers impactful startups working to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for children and young people. Established by UNICEF, supported by KOICA and implemented by MEST Africa, the program offers mentorship, funding opportunities, and market access to social impact startups across sectors like education, health, nutrition, water and sanitation, and child protection.

The UNICEF StartUp Lab also serves as a catalyst for open-source innovation, incubating Digital Public Goods that are scalable, adaptable, and designed to benefit children and communities globally. With almost 80 startups now having graduated from the program, the Lab continues to foster a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, building a pipeline of tech-enabled solutions that address some of Ghana’s most pressing development challenges.

Graduated Startups from UNICEF Startup Lab Cohort 4

RiviaCo operates a network of primary care clinics in Ghana offering high-quality and affordable in-person and virtual doctor consultations, medication and lab diagnosis services. 

Craft Education Craft Education is a social enterprise that offers behaviour therapy centres and educators the tools they need to help children with intellectual and developmental disabilities including autism (ASD) to thrive in school and life.  The product, Hunu, combines evidence-based approaches with messaging technology and in-person interventions to help children develop their foundational skills.

Geia Technologies works to strengthen coordination and collaboration standards across the African healthcare industry, to reduce errors and gaps in information.  

STEMAIDE Africa is dedicated to addressing the critical challenge of limited access to quality STEM education in Africa. The STEMAIDE kit integrates hands-on learning experiences, interactive projects, and comprehensive curriculum resources to make STEM education more engaging, accessible, and impactful for learners of all ages. 

MINAGIE Energy is a Ghanaian Climate Tech company specializing in wind energy generation and direct air capture technology. The TIDAL Wind Turbine aims to raise electricity access rates in Off-Grid energy-poor communities, making clean energy available to homeowners, schools and farmers, while contributing to a climate positive world through its Direct Air Capture systems. 

Kodu Technology is an agribusiness and health technology startup that produces affordable and eco-friendly sanitary pads from banana and plantain fibers to help address period poverty and enhance the availability of affordable menstrual health and hygiene products to adolescent girls. 

AgriVest Africa offers a crowdfunding platform to increase access to finance for smallholder farmers in rural Africa. Farmers can showcase their agricultural projects and attract investments through a user-friendly web platform. 

Alle-AI tackles misleading AI-generated information by simultaneously evaluating query outputs across multiple AI models.  

MeSADA PCL develops farming equipment for smallholder and medium-scale staple grain growers in Ghana and Sub-Saharan Africa. iNtensifier Precision Seeder automates high-speed planting, with accurate seed spacing and planting depth control for improved yield.  

Chalkboard Education leverages technology to increase access to quality education and effective learning experiences in emerging economies. 

Farmercy Technologies retrofits domestic air conditioners into decentralized, solar-powered micro-cold rooms to addresses post-harvest loss.

Ozone Technologies Ghana Ltd increases access to prosthetics, targeting individuals in low and middle-income countries.  

Husk Technologies manufactures agricultural machinery and software solutions for farmers and agribusinesses. 

ThinkBikes Limited provides last-mile transportation, distributing clean, electric cargo bikes for affordable ride-sharing and leasing to individuals and businesses in urban and rural communities, using a mobile app. 

Code Club Academy focuses on assistive devices for persons with disabilities. The startup has created a prototype for the visually impaired, which includes smart spectacles and a stick to aid navigation.

OGames Studio promotes African culture in the gaming industry by developing immersive games that celebrate African folklore and traditions.  

AkooBooks Audio Ltd Ghana’s first audio publisher offers a digital streaming platform for Black/ African audiobooks and spoken word. 

Eazzier Transpay Ltd is a fintech startup focused on empowering small and local merchants in Ghana who are currently underserved by payment service providers and banks. 

FreshLine Post Harvest Solutions addresses postharvest loss faced by smallholder horticultural farmers in rural communities by providing a solar-powered mobile postharvest management facility with a packhouse, cold storage, and processing unit. 

E-Africa Solutions Limited is a health technology company aimed at transforming healthcare records management and IT technology in Africa.

Nikasemo Technologies builds solutions to help basic schools integrate Edtech in teaching, learning and school management. 

Muna Kalati provides access to culturally relevant and diverse content to improve foundational literacy skills in children. 

TECHAiDE is an EdTech startup dedicated to addressing educational challenges through technology. Its flagship product, the ASANKA Device, is an offline Learning Management System designed to connect learners who are offline or experience limited internet access.

Mundaly Enterprise connects impact funders and facilitators directly to their communities and gives them affordable, evidence-based insights on specific community needs and contexts. 

BenBen ensures bankable, and transparent large-scale land transactions through Keva, a web3-enabled land rights data layer to de-risk and safeguard land transactions between land investors and local communities.