Gender-Responsive Innovation Startups Poised for Investment
Eleven startups across Africa, Asia and the Middle East leveraging cutting edge technology to improve gender equity
Applying a gender lens to social impact investment in frontier technology can be a game changer for addressing global inequities. With a decade of experience in this field, data from investments made by UNICEF Venture Fund reveals the vast and untapped potential of women-led innovation and gender-responsive frontier tech solutions.
With a track record of over 150 investments across 81 countries, over 40 per cent of the UNICEF Venture Fund’s growth-stage cohort are women-founded or women-led. This is magnitudes higher than the industry average of just 2 per cent. This could have far-reaching implications if applied not just to investing in founders but also to advancing gender equality through technology.
Frontiers of female technology
Fem Tech, a sector on the ‘cusp of disruption’ according to a recent McKinsey report, is bridging the gap between the funding and talent required to address unmet needs. UNICEF Venture Fund is exploring the wealth of innovations in emerging economies to identify a pipeline of investment-ready, game-changing tech solutions. In collaboration with GITEX, the Fund launched the Gender-Responsive Innovation Challenge (GRIC) across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
With the offer of 10 hours of mentoring on business-critical issues like Open Source, frontier tech, business development, software development, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and guidance on accessing further financial investment, the initiative sought applications from start-ups that demonstrated a contribution to:
- Investment in diverse and underrepresented founders (especially women).
- Increased availability of digital products and services for vulnerable and underrepresented populations (like children, women and people with disabilities).
- Inclusive user design of innovations to reduce bias and increase accessibility.
Eleven start-ups were identified, most of which are leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) in fem tech solutions. The GRIC cohort represents a broad range of scalable solutions and displays versatility and potential to expand into other areas like FinTech.
“The mentorship gave us insights into the specific needs of pre-revenue companies aiming for growth, alongside knowledge about the FemTech market in these regions, to better target and support emerging innovators in this sector,” says Hanna Burkhardt, Venture Fund Manager.
The Africa Cohort
Launched in collaboration with GITEX Africa and focusing on start-ups on the continent, 150 applications were received from 26 countries across Africa to the GRIC, reflecting diverse unmet needs in health (including mental and maternal health), financial inclusion and education.
Start-ups selected include:
Sauti Salama, an app developed by Cashcade (Kenya), tackles gender-based violence by offering reporting, emergency support, resources and personalized guidance, while the data-driven solution also informs evidence-based policies and interventions.
NATAL CARES (Nigeria) uses mobile technologies to improve maternal and infant healthcare, providing health information, access to delivery kits and frontline health worker training, reducing mortality rates and increasing equitable healthcare access.
My Pregnancy Journey (South Africa) is an African-focused maternal health app connecting expectant mothers with local health experts and resources, also offering personalized pregnancy support enhanced by AI.
Afya Mama (Tanzania) is a platform offering maternal and sexual reproductive health resources, and free-text consultations, using machine learning techniques to provide postpartum depression screening and support.
North, a digital health platform developed by PneumaCare (Nigeria) offering sexual and reproductive health services to women in underserved communities, using AI and web/mobile apps to improve access, consultation quality and care navigation.
- Cariya Wallet (Uganda), a crowdfunding platform leveraging diaspora remittances to ensure young mothers and their children can meet financial commitments like school fees, using machine learning to credit score and blockchain for transparency.
The Asia and Middle East cohort
The GRIC challenge engaged with tech entrepreneur ecosystem in Asia and the Middle East in collaboration with GITEX Asia and GITEX Global. As industry analysts profile Asia as the ‘hottest new fem tech market’, impressive solutions, though fewer in number, were submitted to the GRIC from start-ups in Asia and the Middle East. The applications received, and the solutions selected suggest the need for further investment in fem tech in these regions.
Start-ups selected include:
Mae, an AI-powered platform developed by StandWeSpeak (India), offers sexual and reproductive health support for young girls, including information, expert access, products and digital resources.
The Aziza menstrual health app (Egypt) provides cycle tracking, health insights and culturally relevant educational content to combat cultural stigma and misinformation.
Sakhi (India) uses a WhatsApp-based AI-driven solution to reduce maternal mortality by providing maternal health information while also connecting mothers, healthcare workers and NGOs - enhancing health literacy and supporting underserved communities.
- Maternally (United Arab Emirates) addresses perinatal mental health issues, such as postpartum depression and anxiety, by providing accessible, culturally-informed services. The digital platform offers self-assessment quizzes, guided therapy and peer support groups - empowering women and breaking down barriers to care.
- The MommyKidz health platform (Bangladesh), offers girls and young women a safe space to access services and advice, including a knowledge library, health trackers and access to healthcare professionals. Currently helping over 40,000 users, with 500 queries answered daily. Upcoming AI integration will enhance personalized care.
Capitalizing on possibilities for children with game-changing technology
The UNICEF Venture Fund specialises in supporting early-stage, Open Source technology clustered around $100 billion industries. Identifying and learning about portfolios of emerging technologies like blockchain, augmented reality and AI allows UNICEF to help shape markets.
“While still pre-revenue phase, these GRIC startups are promising. It can’t be overstated how important it is to collaborate with innovators at this stage of their entrepreneurial journey as they set out to redefine the tech landscape in their regions with bold new ideas”,
Hanna Burkhardt, Venture Fund Manager.
More can be done at a global stage to capitalize on progress made from gender-smart investing to fem tech solutions that could transform the lives of millions of girls and women around the world. UNICEF Venture Fund is open to catalytic and strategic partnerships to support this vision.
Support the innovation ambition for children. Get in touch at [email protected].
