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UNICEF makes venture capital investments in emerging market tech start-ups

Xinhua, November 16, 2016 Adjust font size:

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday announced its first portfolio of investments in open source technology solutions including tools that improve connectivity, real time data collection, identity technology and learning.

"The UNICEF Innovation Fund will source and support companies that might be overlooked by traditional investment vehicles," the deputy UN spokesman, Farhan Haq, told reporters at a daily news briefing here.

This first portfolio includes start-ups in Nicaragua, Bangladesh, South Africa, Pakistan and Cambodia, with an eye to investing in 20 to 40 additional companies in 2017, he noted.

"The UNICEF Innovation Fund is inviting technology start-ups to apply for investment and become part of this growing portfolio of open source solutions," Haq said. "The next round of applications for investment from the Fund is now open the deadline to apply is 1 January 2017."

UNICEF Innovation is an interdisciplinary team of individuals around the world tasked with identifying, prototyping, and scaling technologies and practices that strengthen UNICEF's work. Endit