Sweden–UNICEF FemTech Ventures 2026: Up to US$100,000 in Funding for Women’s Health Technology Startups

The Sweden–UNICEF FemTech Ventures programme is inviting applications from innovative companies developing technology-driven solutions to improve the health, wellbeing, and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of girls and women. The initiative seeks to support promising FemTech businesses that use emerging technologies to address challenges affecting women’s healthcare, particularly through solutions that can be expanded and made accessible to more people.

Through this initiative, Sweden and UNICEF are continuing their efforts to encourage innovation in women’s health by supporting companies that combine technology, entrepreneurship, and social impact. The programme’s second annual cohort offers selected companies an opportunity to receive up to US$100,000 in funding, 12 months of technical mentorship, access to UNICEF’s global network, and support to advance their solutions towards wider implementation and scale.

The programme is particularly encouraging applications from businesses using frontier technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain. Women-led startups and young founders under the age of 35 are also strongly encouraged to apply.

For entrepreneurs developing solutions in areas such as reproductive health, maternal wellbeing, menstrual health, access to health information, and digital healthcare services, the initiative presents an opportunity to strengthen their products, receive expert guidance, and explore pathways to reach more communities.

What Is the Sweden–UNICEF FemTech Ventures Programme?

The Sweden–UNICEF FemTech Ventures programme is an innovation and business-support initiative designed to help companies develop technology-enabled solutions that address women’s and girls’ health needs. It brings together support from Sweden and UNICEF to encourage the development of solutions that can make a meaningful difference in healthcare access, quality, and outcomes.

FemTech, short for female technology, refers to products, services, and digital solutions that use technology to address health and wellbeing needs affecting women and girls. The sector covers a broad range of areas, including menstrual health, fertility, pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health, sexual health, and access to reliable health information and services.

Despite advances in healthcare, many women and girls continue to face barriers to obtaining appropriate, affordable, timely, and reliable health services. These barriers can include limited access to healthcare facilities, insufficient health information, social stigma, inadequate health infrastructure, and a lack of solutions designed around their specific needs.

Technology can help address some of these challenges by improving access to information, supporting healthcare delivery, enabling better data management, and developing services that can reach underserved populations. However, promising innovations often need funding, technical expertise, partnerships, and a clear plan for expansion before they can achieve wider impact.

The Sweden–UNICEF FemTech Ventures programme aims to help selected companies move their solutions closer to scale. Rather than focusing solely on the creation of new ideas, the opportunity is directed towards companies that already have a functional prototype and are prepared to continue developing their solutions.

The second annual cohort also reflects an interest in using emerging technologies to address persistent challenges in women’s health. By encouraging innovation and supporting companies with growth potential, the programme seeks to help promising solutions progress beyond the prototype stage and towards broader adoption.

Funding Opportunity: Receive Up to US$100,000

One of the main benefits of the Sweden–UNICEF FemTech Ventures programme is the opportunity for selected companies to receive funding of up to US$100,000.

This financial support can help eligible businesses advance the development of their technology-enabled solutions, strengthen their prototypes, and prepare their products or services for wider use. For early-stage companies, access to funding can be particularly important when moving from initial product development towards testing, refinement, implementation, and expansion.

Depending on the company’s needs and the programme’s applicable funding conditions, financial support may help address development priorities such as improving product functionality, refining a digital platform, strengthening a technology solution, or preparing for expansion into additional communities or markets.

Applicants should not assume that every selected company will receive the maximum amount of US$100,000. The opportunity is advertised as offering funding of up to this amount, and the actual support available to individual companies may depend on the programme’s selection process and funding arrangements.

Entrepreneurs should consult the official application guidelines for information about eligible expenses, funding conditions, disbursement arrangements, reporting obligations, and any requirements relating to the use of the funds.

Twelve Months of Technical Mentorship

In addition to financial support, selected companies can receive 12 months of technical mentorship. This component is intended to help businesses strengthen their solutions and address the technical and operational challenges associated with developing technology-based healthcare innovations.

Mentorship can be particularly useful for startups that have developed a functional prototype but need further guidance before their solutions can be implemented more widely.

Technical guidance may help companies identify weaknesses in their existing products, improve their development processes, assess technical feasibility, and plan the next stages of product development. It can also help founders think more carefully about how their solutions will perform in real-world settings and what changes may be necessary before wider deployment.

For FemTech businesses, technical development must be accompanied by a clear understanding of the needs of the people who will use the solution. A product designed to improve women’s health should respond to genuine user needs, remain accessible to its intended audience, and be developed with appropriate attention to privacy, safety, reliability, and responsible use of health information.

The 12-month mentorship period gives selected companies an opportunity to work on their solutions over an extended period rather than relying exclusively on short-term financial assistance.

However, applicants should review the programme’s official documentation to determine the precise mentorship structure, the areas of technical support available, and the expectations placed on participating companies.

Access to UNICEF’s Global Network

Selected companies will also gain access to UNICEF’s global network. This is another important component of the opportunity because developing a promising product is only one part of building a successful health technology business.

Companies also need to understand the environments in which their solutions may be used, identify relevant partners, and explore opportunities to reach the populations that could benefit from their innovations.

Access to UNICEF’s global network may provide opportunities to engage with organisations and stakeholders working in areas relevant to children’s and women’s wellbeing, public health, technology, and development. Such connections can help businesses understand the broader context in which their products operate and identify potential pathways for collaboration.

For startups seeking to expand beyond their initial markets, networks and partnerships can help them learn about new operating environments, understand implementation challenges, and explore opportunities to establish relationships with relevant organisations.

This support should not be interpreted as a guarantee of a commercial partnership, UNICEF procurement contract, investment, or endorsement of a company’s product. Applicants should consult the official programme information to understand the specific opportunities and limitations associated with network access.

Support to Move FemTech Solutions Towards Scale

The programme is designed to support companies as they work towards scaling their solutions. In this context, scaling means expanding a product’s reach, adoption, or impact beyond its initial development or testing environment.

A company may have a promising prototype, but expanding its use can require further technical development, user testing, operational planning, partnerships, and a sustainable business or implementation model.

For example, a digital health platform developed for a small group of users may need improvements in usability, accessibility, data protection, and technical performance before it can serve a much larger population. Similarly, a tool intended to improve access to reproductive health information may require appropriate partnerships and an implementation strategy to reach girls and women in underserved communities.

Support towards scale can help participating companies think beyond product creation and consider how their solutions might be adopted and maintained over time.

Applicants should therefore be prepared to explain not only what their technology does, but also the problem it addresses, who benefits from it, how it could be implemented, and what would be required to extend its reach.

A strong application should clearly communicate the solution’s intended impact and demonstrate why the company believes its innovation has the potential to serve more users or communities.

Why Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain Innovations Are Encouraged

The Sweden–UNICEF FemTech Ventures programme particularly encourages companies using frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain. This emphasis creates an opportunity for entrepreneurs exploring new approaches to women’s health and wellbeing.

1. Artificial intelligence in women’s health

Artificial intelligence can support the development of digital tools that analyse information, personalise user experiences, improve access to health education, or assist with certain healthcare processes.

Depending on the design and intended use of a product, AI-enabled FemTech solutions could help users navigate health information, support healthcare workers with information management, or make digital health services more responsive to individual needs.

For instance, a company might develop a digital platform that helps users find reliable reproductive health information or a tool that assists health organisations in organising non-identifiable service data. Such applications would still need appropriate safeguards, and any system used for clinical decision-making would require suitable validation and oversight.

AI applications in healthcare must be developed responsibly. Companies should consider data quality, privacy, bias, security, and the consequences of inaccurate outputs, particularly when products affect health decisions.

2. Blockchain in women’s health

Blockchain technology may offer ways to maintain tamper-evident records, support data integrity, and improve transparency in certain digital systems.

In the FemTech sector, entrepreneurs may explore blockchain-based approaches to selected record-management or service-coordination challenges. However, the suitability of blockchain depends on the specific problem being addressed, and the technology should not be used simply because it is emerging or fashionable.

Healthcare applications must carefully consider confidentiality, consent, data protection, and the risks associated with storing sensitive information. A responsible solution should demonstrate why blockchain is appropriate for its intended use and how the design protects the people whose information may be involved.

3. Innovation must address a real health need

Although the programme encourages frontier technologies, the underlying purpose remains the development of solutions that improve the health and wellbeing of girls and women.

A company should therefore demonstrate a clear connection between its technology and the problem it intends to solve. The use of AI, blockchain, or another advanced technology is not, by itself, evidence that a product will have meaningful health impact.

Applicants should explain how the technology improves the solution, what makes the approach useful, and how the company intends to develop a product that can be adopted and scaled responsibly.

Who Should Apply?

The opportunity is intended for companies developing technology-enabled solutions that address the health, wellbeing, and sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and women.

The programme is particularly relevant to startups and early-stage businesses that have progressed beyond the idea stage and developed a functional prototype.

Potentially relevant areas of innovation include:

• Digital tools that improve access to women’s health information.
• Technology-enabled services addressing sexual and reproductive health and rights.
• Solutions designed to improve aspects of women’s wellbeing and healthcare access.
• FemTech products that use AI, blockchain, or other frontier technologies.
• Digital innovations with a credible plan for wider adoption and impact.

These examples illustrate the programme’s broad focus; they should not be treated as an exhaustive list of eligible product categories.

Women-led startups and founders under the age of 35 are strongly encouraged to apply. This encouragement does not necessarily mean that all applicants must be women or that every founder must be younger than 35. Businesses should consult the official eligibility criteria for any mandatory conditions relating to founders, ownership, leadership, and company composition.

The programme is directed at companies rather than simply individuals with an idea. Applicants should therefore assess whether their business meets the registration, prototype, and open-source requirements before beginning the application.

Key Eligibility Requirements

According to the published announcement, companies should meet the following requirements.

1. Registration in a UNICEF programme country

The company must be registered in a UNICEF programme country. This requirement makes the programme relevant to eligible businesses operating in countries where UNICEF runs its programmes.

Entrepreneurs should verify whether their company’s country of registration meets the programme’s definition and check any additional requirements relating to the legal status of the business.

For example, Kenyan startups may wish to investigate the opportunity because Kenya is a UNICEF programme country. Nevertheless, a company operating in Kenya should confirm all registration and other eligibility conditions before applying.

Applicants should not assume that an individual founder’s nationality, residence, or citizenship automatically determines company eligibility. The announcement specifically refers to company registration, so the official guidelines should be consulted for the applicable interpretation.

2. A functional prototype

Applicants should already have a functional prototype of their solution.

A functional prototype is a working version or early model of a product that demonstrates how its main features operate. It allows a company to show that the concept has progressed beyond a written proposal or an untested idea.

For a digital FemTech startup, a prototype could be an early version of a mobile application, a working digital platform, or a technology-based tool that demonstrates the core functionality of the proposed solution.

The prototype does not necessarily have to be a fully commercialised product, but the company should be able to demonstrate meaningful progress in development.

Applicants should be ready to describe what the prototype does, the problem it addresses, its current stage of development, and the work required to improve or expand it.

The precise technical standard for a qualifying prototype should be confirmed through the official application guidelines.

3. Commitment to open-source licensing and principles

Companies must be committed to open-source licensing and principles.

Open-source approaches generally make software or other relevant technical materials available under licences that permit specified forms of use, examination, modification, or redistribution. The exact permissions depend on the licence selected and the materials being shared.

For a programme seeking solutions with the potential to scale, open-source principles may support collaboration, transparency, adaptation, and the wider use of technology.

Companies considering an application should understand what open-source participation means for their product and business model. They should review the applicable licensing requirements, identify the components that would be made available, and determine whether they can meet the programme’s expectations.

A general willingness to support technology innovation may not be sufficient if the company is unable to comply with the programme’s actual licensing conditions. Applicants should read the official documentation carefully, particularly if their solution incorporates third-party software, proprietary components, or sensitive health-related data.

Why Women-Led Startups and Young Founders Are Encouraged

The programme explicitly encourages women-led startups and young founders under the age of 35.

Women entrepreneurs may bring direct experience of the barriers affecting girls’ and women’s health, while younger founders may contribute new technical approaches and fresh business models. These are not exclusive advantages, but they illustrate why the programme’s outreach highlights these groups.

Encouraging women-led businesses can also help bring more perspectives into the development of technologies intended to serve women and girls. Solutions developed with a strong understanding of users’ experiences may be better positioned to identify unmet needs and design services that are relevant to their intended audiences.

Young founders working in AI, blockchain, digital health, and related fields may also be well placed to experiment with new approaches to persistent healthcare challenges.

However, entrepreneurs should distinguish between groups that are encouraged to apply and requirements that are compulsory. The announcement strongly encourages applications from women-led companies and founders under 35, while the stated company requirements include registration in a UNICEF programme country, a functional prototype, and a commitment to open-source licensing and principles.

The full application guidelines should be used to establish whether any additional eligibility or selection criteria apply.

How to Prepare a Strong Application

Although the announcement provides an overview of the opportunity, applicants should consult the official application page for the complete application process, required documents, selection criteria, and submission instructions.

Companies can begin preparing by addressing the following areas.

Step 1: Clearly define the health problem

Explain the specific challenge affecting girls’ or women’s health that the company intends to address. A strong explanation should identify the intended users, describe the problem, and establish why an appropriate solution is needed.

Avoid presenting the technology as the problem’s solution without explaining how it responds to the needs of the target population.

Step 2: Demonstrate the functional prototype

Describe the prototype and explain how its main features work. Include evidence of development progress where permitted by the application process.

Applicants should be ready to show what has already been built, what has been tested, and which features still require improvement.

Step 3: Explain the role of technology

If the solution uses AI, blockchain, or another frontier technology, explain why that technology is appropriate.

Show how it contributes to the product’s functionality or impact rather than relying on technical terminology alone. Applicants should also consider privacy, security, accessibility, reliability, and responsible use.

Step 4: Address open-source requirements

Review the programme’s licensing expectations and explain how the company intends to comply.

If the solution includes third-party components or proprietary elements, determine whether the proposed approach is compatible with the applicable open-source principles and licence requirements.

Step 5: Present a credible scaling plan

Explain how the solution could reach additional users or communities. Applicants may need to consider product improvements, operational capacity, partnerships, sustainability, and the practical challenges of expansion.

A scaling plan should be realistic and connected to the company’s current stage of development.

Step 6: Explain how the programme would help

Companies should consider how the advertised funding, technical mentorship, access to UNICEF’s global network, and support towards scale would contribute to their next stage of development.

The application should connect the requested support to clear priorities, such as improving the prototype, addressing technical limitations, preparing for implementation, or expanding access to the solution.

Step 7: Verify eligibility and submission requirements

Before submitting an application, confirm that the company is registered in an eligible UNICEF programme country, has a functional prototype, and can comply with the programme’s open-source requirements.

Applicants should also check any additional conditions, application forms, supporting documents, deadlines, and submission procedures stated on the official application page.

Application Link

Companies interested in the Sweden–UNICEF FemTech Ventures programme can begin by visiting the application link shared in the Embassy of Sweden in Nairobi’s announcement:

Official application link: https://lnkd.in/dG2Xr-Rf

The link is a shortened LinkedIn URL. Applicants should follow it to the relevant official application information and confirm that they are using the correct page before submitting business information or supporting documents.

For more Grant opportunities visit OFY website: https://opportunitiesforyouth.org/?s=grants

Application Deadline

The announcement shared by the Embassy of Sweden in Nairobi on October 9 does not state an application deadline.

Interested companies should check the official application page for the closing date, time zone, and any updates to the application period. Applicants should not assume that the opportunity remains open until a particular date unless this is confirmed by the programme organisers.

Conclusion

The Sweden–UNICEF FemTech Ventures programme offers an opportunity for eligible companies to advance technology-driven solutions addressing the health, wellbeing, and sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and women. With funding of up to US$100,000, 12 months of technical mentorship, access to UNICEF’s global network, and support towards scaling, the programme provides several forms of assistance to businesses seeking to develop their innovations beyond the prototype stage.

The opportunity is particularly relevant to companies working with artificial intelligence, blockchain, and other frontier technologies, provided their solutions respond to genuine health needs and have the potential for wider impact. Women-led startups and founders under the age of 35 are strongly encouraged to apply.

To be considered, companies should pay close attention to the stated requirements concerning registration in a UNICEF programme country, the availability of a functional prototype, and a commitment to open-source licensing and principles. They should also review the full application guidelines to confirm any additional eligibility conditions and the submission deadline.

For entrepreneurs building technology that can improve women’s health and wellbeing, the programme may offer a useful pathway to strengthen a product, receive technical guidance, and prepare for wider implementation. Interested businesses should consult the official application link and assess their eligibility before submitting an application.