UNFPA launches the Equalizer Challenge to Scale Women’s Health Innovations

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is a leading international agency focused on advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights for all. As the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA works in over 150 countries to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled. Through partnerships with governments, civil society, and international institutions, UNFPA delivers programs that empower women and girls, improve maternal health, and promote gender equality. In collaboration with key partners like MIT Solve, IE University, and Women of Wearables, UNFPA leverages innovation and capacity-building to address global health challenges, particularly those affecting women and girls. The organization is committed to ensuring access to high-quality healthcare services, especially in underserved and vulnerable communities. With support from donor countries such as Germany and Luxembourg, UNFPA focuses on scaling up sustainable and impactful health initiatives. Its initiatives go beyond providing resources, by building strong ecosystems that empower social enterprises and startups to grow and thrive. The Equalizer Challenge is one such initiative, underscoring UNFPA’s commitment to supporting women-led innovation and health equity on a global scale.

The Equalizer Challenge is a unique global initiative launched by UNFPA in partnership with MIT Solve, IE University, and Women of Wearables. Supported by the Governments of Germany and Luxembourg, this challenge is designed to elevate women-led health innovations beyond the pilot stage. It offers a powerful blend of equity-free catalytic funding and a six-month virtual capacity development program. Selected participants receive biweekly coaching, expert mentorship, and direct access to global health and investment networks. This comprehensive support ensures that promising health innovations addressing women’s health can scale effectively and sustainably.
The challenge focuses on impactful solutions in areas like cervical cancer screening, breast cancer detection, menopause care, and infertility treatment. The aim is to empower women entrepreneurs whose innovations have proven effectiveness and strong potential to transform women’s health outcomes. The challenge supports a variety of organizational models, including social enterprises, non-profits, hybrid setups, and for-profit entities, provided they feature sustainable business plans. Participants retain full intellectual property rights over their innovations. By placing women’s health at the core, this initiative works to strengthen the women’s health innovation ecosystem while enhancing access to critical healthcare services for underserved populations.