…25 social impact ventures ready to make a difference
The UNICEF Startup Lab welcomes the 25 tech-enabled social impact startups selected for its highly anticipated Cohort 4 of the 2024 accelerator program.
The six-month accelerator is designed to provide crucial support to social impact startups, empowering them to enhance their business models for maximum impact, access partnership and financing opportunities, establish market linkages, build networks, and receive personalized mentorship.
The UNICEF Startup Lab’s 2024 accelerator program kick-off marks a significant step forward in harnessing the power of technology and entrepreneurship to drive social change and improve the lives of children and young people across Ghana.
The UNICEF StartUp Lab programme is led by UNICEF in Ghana, supported by KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency), and implemented by MEST Africa. Throughout the program, the startups will collaborate with UNICEF program specialists to refine their products, ground-truth their solutions, and gain invaluable insights into market dynamics.
Additionally, they will be exposed to international and national investment opportunities, with a gateway to the UNICEF Innovation Fund and the Digital Public Goods Alliance.
Fiachra McAsey, UNICEF Deputy Representative, Ghana, emphasized,”The UNICEF Startup Lab accelerates innovative, market-driven, transformative solutions developed by young Ghanaian businesses that aim to address some of the most complex challenges affecting the well-being of children and young people around the world, particularly the most vulnerable. We are excited to welcome this new Cohort of founders to the UNICEF StartUp Lab to support them in making a positive difference for every child.”
Mr. Donghyun Lee, KOICA Country Director stated, “KOICA is honored to support the UNICEF Startup Lab in nurturing the next generation of social impact innovators. We believe that investing in these startups is an investment in the well-being of Ghana’s children and the sustainable development of the nation.
Ashwin Ravichandran of MEST Africa added, “The startups we’ve selected for our 2024 cohort highlight the dynamic and prospering tech ecosystem in Ghana. At MEST, we are focused on supplying them with the critical tools and support they need to excel and broaden their impact. We are excited to see the groundbreaking solutions they will deliver to the Ghanaian and global market.”
Out of over 500 initial applications, the 25 selected startups represent a wide array of sectors, including education, health, agritech, frontier technologies, assistive technologies for individuals with special needs, mobility, fintech, and climate action. The cohort is geographically diverse, covering regions such as Greater Accra, Ashanti, Eastern, Northern, Volta, Ahafo, and Brong Ahafo.
Selected Startups
RiviaCo operates a network of primary care clinics in Ghana offering high-quality and affordable in-person and virtual doctor consultations, medication and lab diagnosis services.
Craft Education Craft Education is a social enterprise that offers behaviour therapy centres and educators (providers) the tools they need to help children with intellectual and developmental disabilities including autism (ASD) to thrive in school and life. The product, Hunu, combines evidence-based approaches with messaging technology and in-person interventions to help children develop their foundational skills.
Geia Technologies works to strengthen coordination and collaboration standards across the African healthcare industry, to reduce errors and gaps in information.
STEMAIDE Africa is dedicated to addressing the critical challenge of limited access to quality STEM education in Africa. The STEMAIDE kit integrates hands-on learning experiences, interactive projects, and comprehensive curriculum resources to make STEM education more engaging, accessible, and impactful for learners of all ages.
MINAGIE Energy is a Ghanaian Climate Tech company specializing in wind energy generation and direct air capture technology. The TIDAL Wind Turbine aims to raise electricity access rates in Off-Grid energy-poor communities, making clean energy available to homeowners, schools and farmers, while contributing to a climate positive world through its Direct Air Capture systems.
Kodu Technology is an agribusiness and health technology startup that produces affordable and eco-friendly sanitary pads from banana and plantain fibres to help address period poverty.
AgriVest Africa offers a crowdfunding platform to increase access to finance for smallholder farmers in rural Africa. Farmers can showcase their agricultural projects and attract investments through a user-friendly web platform.
Alle-AI tackles misleading AI-generated information by simultaneously evaluating query outputs across multiple AI models.
MeSADA PCL develops farming equipment for smallholder and medium-scale staple grain growers in Ghana and Sub-Saharan Africa. iNtensifier Precision Seeder automates high-speed planting, with accurate seed spacing and planting depth control for improved yield.
Chalkboard Education leverages technology to increase access to quality education and effective learning experiences in emerging markets.
Farmercy Technologies retrofits domestic air conditioners into decentralized, solar-powered micro-cold rooms to addresses post-harvest loss.
Ozone Technologies Ghana Ltd increases access to prosthetics, targeting individuals in low and middle-income countries.
Husk Technologies manufactures agricultural machinery and software solutions for farmers and agribusinesses.
ThinkBikes Limited provides last-mile transportation, distributing clean, electric cargo bikes for affordable ride-sharing and leasing to individuals and businesses in urban and rural communities, using a mobile app.
Code Club Academy focuses on assisting people with disabilities. The startup has created a prototype for visually impaired individuals, which includes smart spectacles and a stick to aid in navigation.
OGames Studio promotes African culture in the gaming industry by developing immersive games that celebrate African folklore and traditions.
AkooBooks Audio Ltd Ghana’s first audio publisher offers a digital streaming platform for Black/African audiobooks and spoken word.
Eazzier Transpay Ltd is a fintech startup focused on empowering small and local merchants in Ghana who are currently underserved by payment service providers and banks.
FreshLine Post Harvest Solutions addresses postharvest loss faced by smallholder horticultural farmers in rural communities, which directly impacts their livelihoods by providing a solar-powered mobile postharvest management facility with a packhouse, cold storage, and processing unit.
E-Africa Solutions Limited is a health technology company aimed at transforming healthcare records management and IT technology in Africa.
Nikasemo Technologies builds solutions to help basic schools integrate Edtech in teaching, learning and school management.
Muna Kalati provides access to culturally relevant and diverse content to improve foundational literacy skills in children.
TECHAiDE is an EdTech startup dedicated to addressing educational challenges through
technology. The flagship product, the ASANKA Device, is an offline Learning Management
System designed to connect learners who were previously unreached due to limited internet access.
Mundaly Enterprise connects impact funders and facilitators directly to their communities an gives them affordable, evidence-based insights on specific community needs and contexts.
BenBen ensures bankable, and transparent large-scale land transactions through Keva, a
web3-enabled land rights data layer to de-risk and safeguard land transactions between land investors and local communities.
