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.

Launched in 2019, the UNICEF StartUp Lab is a six-month
accelerator programme 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 programme, 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.

Describe the format of your programme.:

Participants of the UNICEF StartUp Lab will have the opportunity to;
• Collaborate and connect with UNICEF programme experts in Health & Nutrition, Education, Social Policy & Protection, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), and Child Protection
• Access UNICEF’s global network of country offices and partners to help scale your startup’s solution
• Secure up to GHS 75,000 in prototyping funding for each startup during training, and a scale-up fund of GHS 150,000 each for three startups to scale their impact
• Become UN-recognized Digital Public Good

Key Focus Areas:
• Technology
• Sustainable Entrepreneurship
• Social Impact

Applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria to apply:
• Startup must be operational for at least one year
• Startup is a registered business
• Startup has technology as the core enabler of the business
• Startups with open-source innovations are encouraged to apply
• Startup has a business model with a social impact that addresses at least one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• Startups with female founders/co-founders are encouraged to apply
• The programme is designed to include startups from all regions in Ghana

Brief detail of instructors used:

Non Financial Support Provided: Accelerator|Coworking|Events|Technical Assistance & Capacity Building

Financial Support Provided: Grant