UNICEF StartUp Lab
Accelerator Programme
CAN YOUR INNOVATION MAKE A BETTER WORLD FOR CHILDREN?
UNICEF StartUp Lab is looking for 25 bold, innovative, tech-driven startups creating social impact. Join our next cohort to accelerate your innovation in Health, Education, Urban Services, WASH, Climate Action, Child Protection, Finance, Agriculture, Blockchain, AI/ML, and Cybersecurity.
ABOUT THE ACCELERATOR PROGRAMME
The UNICEF StartUp Lab is a six-month tech accelerator programme for impactful startups and businesses working to advance the Sustainable Development Goals for children and young people across several sectors, including education, health and nutrition, Water Sanitation and hygiene, and child protection.
HOW WE SUPPORT OUR STARTUPS
The UNICEF Startup Lab accelerates innovative, market-driven, transformative solutions developed by young Ghanaian businesses that aim to address some of the most complex challenges affecting the well-being of children and young people around the world, particularly the most vulnerable.
Funding
Access GHS 75,000 prototyping and GHS 150,000 scale-up funding opportunities for three startups.
Growth
Intense, hands-on business acceleration for startups & business to amplify their impact in Ghana and beyond.
Investment
Networking and investment opportunities for participants and alumni, not limited to the UNICEF Venture Fund.
Resources
Linkages and engagements with KOICA and other development partners; Tech perks including AWS cloud storage credits.
Partnerships
Connect and collaborate with UNICEF programmes including Health, Education, WASH, and Social Protection.
Impact
Opportunity to refine your solution to be a social impact fit and become a UN-recognized Digital Public Good (DPG).
Digital Public Goods: Supporting market-driven open-source solutions
The UNICEF StartUp Lab serves as the central hub for discovering and developing Digital Public Goods (DPGs) in Ghana. This initiative is in line with the UN Secretary-General's Roadmap for Digital Cooperation and is backed by the UNICEF Office of Innovation to promote the DPG agenda in the country.
In 2021, one of the UNICEF StartUp Lab’s graduates was officially registered as a DPG by the Digital Public Goods Alliance, the first DPG registration recognized from a startup in West Africa. Since then, four startups from the lab have become registered Digital Public Goods from Ghana.
OUR CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS ACHIEVING THE SDGs
We have five years to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and we’re committed to making it happen. The UNICEF Startup Lab supports tech-enabled startups and initiatives that address these challenges, maximizing their positive impact on children and young people. Join us in driving progress towards the SDGs.
Hackathon - AI for Inclusive Learning
Can your team utilise Artificial Intelligence to help unlock communication for children with speech difficulties? UNICEF StartUp Lab, in collaboration with its Implementing Partner and Developer Community, is calling on Ghana-based innovators to participate in the AI for Inclusive Learning. The call is to develop an AI-powered solution that empowers learners with speech difficulties by creating a digital platform for the new Harmonised Ghanaian Sign Language (GSL) dictionary.
Winning solutions may be eligible for further support, including:
- Incubation or acceleration opportunities
- Mentorship from UNICEF Programme Experts
- Access to funding or investment
- Opportunities to pilot your solution
Who Can Join?
Teams of 2–4 members, including at least one female member and at least one member based outside of Accra.
Teams are also encouraged to include a person with lived experience, such as a Deaf or hard-of-hearing individual, a teacher from a school for the hearing-impaired, a GNAD member, or a speech therapist, or ensure access to end-users during the hackathon for testing and feedback.
Applications are open until October 20th. Apply now: https://bit.ly/USLHacks25
