UNICEF Innovation Fund has opened applications for early-stage blockchain startups. It is looking to make equity-free investment up to 100K in USD or Cryptocurrency. The deadline for applying is 26 July 2020.
UNICEF is willing to provide early stage seed funding and mentoring to for-profit blockchain-based software solutions companies that have a potential to benefit humanity. Further, a network of mentors will help startups in developing their business model and strategy. Also, they will also receive technical assistance from the UNICEF Ventures Team. The funding provided is intended for prototype testing and validation. Moreover, in 2018, a Tunisian startup – Utopixar was a recipient of such a grant.
Additionally, applicants have an opportunity to receive a percentage of funding in cryptocurrency. This is because UNICEF has recently launched CryptoFund, through which it will be able to receive and hold and disburse donations of cryptocurrencies ether & bitcoin. Further, this fund’s launch is a part of UNICEF’s work with blockchain technology.
A few examples of The Innovation Fund’s areas of interest include-
- Finance: Solutions that enable people to learn and use cryptocurrency, provide access to decentralized financial instruments, empower communities to act as their own economic hubs and increase financial systems transparency.
- Connect: Solutions that connect groups to work in a transparent and accountable nature, enable decentralized deal-making etc.
- Empower: Solutions that create open source software to enable communities with new tools, protect user data collected through various mechanisms.
- Also, companies that use distributed ledger technology in new, ground-breaking, ways that are scalable and globally applicable.
Eligibility Criteria-
• Registered private company in UNICEF Program country.
• Working on open source technology solutions.
•Have an existing prototype of the solution with favorable results from pilots.
• Potential to impact the lives of children positively.
As a result of the current pandemic that has led to a shift to digitization, open-source solutions addressing needs of society have become important and this opportunity is a step towards tending to these critical needs with the help of the Digital World.
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