Today, 25 social impact tech-enabled startups were welcomed into the 5th cohort of the UNICEF StartUp Lab accelerator programme. These social impact startups are addressing critical challenges affecting children, adolescents, and communities, in areas including education, health, nutrition, WASH, climate action, financial inclusion, and youth employment.

The opening session of Cohort 5 highlighted the strong commitment of young Ghanaian entrepreneurs to tackle development challenges through practical, innovative solutions.

The UNICEF StartUp Lab accelerator programme, established by UNICEF in 2019, is implemented by MEST Africa and supported by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), under the project titled "KOICA-UNICEF Accelerating Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Ghana."

Over the next six months, startups will engage with UNICEF technical specialists and industry experts to refine products and services, strengthen their business models, and deepen their understanding of market dynamics to enhance their reach and social impact.

The programme also plays a key role in accelerating the discovery and adoption of Digital Public Goods (DPGs) as open-source innovations for sustainable development.

Shinyoung Pyeon, Senior Deputy Country Director, KOICA, stated that KOICA strongly believes in the transformative power of young people to shape the future. In the face of complex global challenges such as climate change, economic inequality and digital disruption, it is the bold ideas and resilient spirit of startups like yours that give us hope.

Through this partnership with UNICEF and MEST, we are proud to support a platform that does not merely nurture businesses but nurtures change-makers for social impact. Entrepreneurs who are not just profit-driven, but purpose-driven. Innovators who see solutions where others see obstacles.

Fiachra McAsey, UNICEF Deputy Representative in Ghana added, “We’re proud to welcome another 25of Ghana’s top startups into the UNICEF StartUp Lab accelerator. Our 5th cohort perfectly captures the innovation and drive of Ghana’s young entrepreneurial ecosystem. The 25 companies join a community of over 100 startups and changemakers actively working to address critical challenges affecting children, young people, and their families today in Ghana.

"Over the next six months, we will work closely with these individuals to connect them to the best technical experts in their fields, to industry leaders and to potential investors to help strengthen their business, refine their products and services, and deepen their understanding of the programme context so that they can extend their reach and maximise their impact for children and young people.”

Participating startups will complete a carefully designed curriculum, comprising six structured venture-building modules covering diligence, product development, business modelling, finance and unit economics, marketing and communications, and investor readiness.

Startups selected for the programme will receive equity-free prototype grants amounting to US$5,000, with an additional US$10,000 awarded to three standout ventures.

Startups will also benefit from MEST’s Investment Readiness Program, which includes hands-on support to prepare investor data rooms, refine pitch decks, and shortlist aligned investors from a curated database of over 100 global funders.

Workshops and direct engagements with investors will further expose founders to various investment types and strategies, with some implementing hubs located outside Accra to promote geographic inclusivity.

The engagement of the 25 startups concluded a rigorous nine-week sourcing campaign, combining online and offline outreach. The campaign prioritised gender diversity and regional inclusion. The selection process included application screening, panel interviews with representatives from UNICEF, KOICA, and MEST, diligence visits and onboarding activities.

5th Cohort – UNICEF StartUp Lab Participating Startups

• Arnson Innovate

• ERA AXIS

• McKingtorch Africa

• iKolilu

• DrDoGood

• Booksie

• MingoBlox

• Edu3Dcation

• Verte Tower

• Organized Khaos Studios

• Green Ecoworks

• Greenearth Agro

• AutoEase Wheelchairs

• QKnow EdTech

• Speso Technologies

• NutriScan

• Crafted Climate

• Agricom Assurance

• Enabled Talent

• TTYM Global (Talk To Your Midwife)

• Washking

• Farmitecture

• Sol Research Centre

• LocaleNLP

• Tellmonifa