Children are often the first to feel the impact of climate change, from air pollution and heatwaves to floods and disease outbreaks.Recognizing this urgent challenge, UNICEF has launched the Climate Innovation Challenge, offering tech startups in emerging economies a chance to develop solutions that protect children’s health and strengthen community resilience.
For African innovators and MSMEs, this challenge is more than a competition—it’s an opportunity to secure funding, gain mentorship, and showcase your work on a global stage.
What You Stand to Gain
Participants in the UNICEF Climate Innovation Challenge can expect:
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Funding: Up to USD 100,000 through UNICEF’s Venture Fund
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Mentorship: At least 10 hours of technical guidance covering open source practices, business strategy, frontier technologies, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)
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Investment Readiness: Tailored support to refine your business and prepare for potential investors
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Networking & Exposure: Access to UNICEF’s extensive network, enhanced visibility, and possible additional financing opportunities
Who Can Apply
To be eligible, your startup must:
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Be a legally registered for-profit company in a UNICEF programme country
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Have a working prototype or MVP demonstrating promising results
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Commit to making your solution open source or adopt open source practices
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Show measurable potential to improve outcomes for vulnerable children
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Provide data that is publicly accessible, measurable, and real-time
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Focus on at least one of the two core themes outlined below
Focus Areas
Climate & Health
Innovations might include:
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Air quality monitoring devices
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Tools to reduce lead exposure
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Climate-informed disease prediction models
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Low-cost cooling solutions for schools or health centers
Adaptation, Resilience & Disaster Risk
Potential use cases include:
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Community early-warning systems
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Parametric insurance solutions
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Blockchain-based validation for climate data
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Planning resilient infrastructure
Additional preferences:
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Designed for low-resource environments with limited connectivity
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Serve diverse users, reduce inequality, and support multiple local languages
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Uphold data protection, child safeguarding, and responsible tech practices
Bonus points for:
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Women-led or youth-led startups (founders under 35)
Key Dates and Duration
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Application Deadline: 21 October 2025, 11:59 PM CET
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Selected startups will receive mentoring and support in phases through the UNICEF Venture Fund grant cycle
Tips for a Strong Application
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Define Your Problem Clearly: Start with a specific climate-health challenge in your local context and show exactly how your technology addresses it
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Demonstrate Traction: Pilot tests, user feedback, or early clients show your idea is beyond the conceptual stage
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Use Precise Metrics: Avoid vague goals—state clear targets such as reducing child exposure to pollutants in a specific number of households
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Clarify Open Source Plans: Explain how you will make your solution open source, including licensing and steps to achieve it
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Include a Risk Assessment: Address potential challenges like connectivity or hardware maintenance, and your mitigation strategy
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Test Your Submission: Draft long answers offline to prevent timeouts or file upload issues
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Align with UNICEF Values: Ensure your solution is inclusive, equitable, and protects children’s data and privacy
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Get External Feedback: Have at least one experienced reviewer look over your draft to flag unclear sections
Common pitfalls to avoid:
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Overestimating your team’s capacity or underestimating execution challenges
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Designing solutions that require heavy infrastructure in low-resource settings
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Submitting without proper legal registration or clear company structure
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Neglecting data protection or child safeguarding
How to Apply
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Visit the UNICEF Venture Fund Climate Innovation Challenge application page
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Complete the Expression of Interest (EOI) form (approximately 30 minutes)
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Fill in sections about your team, prototype, technology, metrics, and intended use of funds
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Submit your application by 21 October 2025, 11:59 PM CET
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For technical issues, consult the FAQ or contact UNICEF Venture Fund support
This challenge is a unique opportunity for African startups and innovators across emerging economies to create technology that shields children from the impacts of climate change while advancing their own growth and visibility.