Temasek Foundation and UNICEF have announced a partnership to identify and invest in femtech startups using frontier technology to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for girls and women in Southeast Asia. The collaboration will support early and growth-stage companies developing open-source femtech solutions in the region.
The partnership operates through UNICEF’s Venture Fund femtech initiative, which runs from 2025-2030 and provides equity-free funding and mentorship to startups from emerging economies. The program’s 2025 call for proposals generated over 1,000 applications, with 22% coming from South and Southeast Asian companies.
“Women’s and children’s health have long been underserved, even though it is key to the well-being of families and communities,” said Kee Kirk Chuen, Head of Health & Well-being at Temasek Foundation. “Together with UNICEF, we hope to catalyze a new generation of local femtech talents to innovate with bold ideas to address health needs in Asia.”
The initiative addresses significant gaps in the femtech sector, where 75% of companies are currently based in the United States or Europe despite fastest growth occurring in emerging economies. Southeast Asia witnessed 70% growth in femtech startups in 2022, indicating strong regional momentum.
UNICEF’s broader femtech research highlights systemic challenges facing women globally. One in five young women worldwide marry before age 18, while over 21 million adolescent girls in low- and middle-income countries become pregnant annually. Every two minutes, a woman dies from cervical cancer, and 31% of women globally are not in education, training, or employment.
“In less than a decade, we anticipate the fem tech sector will lose its niche status, so now is the time to strengthen ecosystems of fem tech entrepreneurs in emerging economies developing game-changing solutions,” said Thomas Davin, Global Director of UNICEF Office of Innovation.
The partnership targets three key areas: increasing awareness and access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, improving healthcare product availability and quality for girls and women, and increasing investment flows to these solutions in emerging economies.
