The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) will invest up to $100,000 in six blockchain startups in developing and emerging economies to “solve global challenges using blockchain technology”.
The investments will be received by Argentinian software development firm Atix Labs, Mexican tech companies Onesmart and Prescrypto, Indian startup Statwig, Tunisian apps development startup Utopixar, and web apps development firm W3 Engineers from Bangladesh.
These six companies will build prototypes and systems for solving global problems like transparency in health-care delivery, affordable access to mobile phone connectivity, and the ability to direct finances and resources to social-impact projects, according to the press-release.
“Blockchain technology is still at an early stage — and there is a great deal of experimentation, failure, and learning ahead of us as we see how, and where, we can use this technology to create a better world,” said Chris Fabian, Principal Adviser, UNICEF Innovation. “That’s exactly the stage when UNICEF Innovation Fund invests: when our financing, technical support, and focus on vulnerable populations can help a technology grow and mature in the most fair and equitable way possible.”
The investments are part of a broader program which already funds 20 technology early-stage companies. Besides blockchain startups, UNICEF Innovation Fund manages startups in fields of data science, machine learning, virtual reality and drones.