Fundraising FoxBasel · Seed · 2 people tracked
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Investment thesis
Fondation Botnar focuses on improving the wellbeing of young people living in urban and digital environments. It concentrates on four thematic areas: enabling liveable and sustainable city systems, supporting a human rights-based digital transformation, promoting mental health, and strengthening quality public education. The foundation supports research, innovative programmes, and youth-led initiatives globally, and also invests in purpose-related companies to help maximise their positive impact. Its work emphasises meaningful youth participation, equitable access to technology and AI, and creating cities and digital spaces that respond to young people's aspirations and rights.
Source: firm website, verified Oct 2, 2026.
Team · 2 people
from the firm's website & public directoriesWhat they invest in
from 11 of 23 portfolio companiesImpact & Social Good ×9AI & Machine Learning ×2EdTech ×2GovTech ×2Biotech ×1Data & Infrastructure ×1Deep Tech ×1Enterprise Software ×1
HQs:Romania×2Switzerland×1Ecuador×1Ghana×1Kenya×1Tanzania×1
Investments · 23 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathAIP Foundation is a nonprofit organization working to improve road safety and sustainable transportation in low- and middle-income countries since 1999.
Impact & Social GoodMobility & Transportation
Amnesty International is a global human rights movement that campaigns to end abuses of human rights across the world.
Impact & Social Good
GSTEP (Ghana Science and Tech Explorer Challenge Prize) is a competition and program that encourages Junior High School students aged 11-16 and their teachers in Ghana to build practical STEM skills and create products that benefit local communities.
EdTechImpact & Social Good
BIIE is a research institute in Basel focused on immune engineering, supporting scientists working on synthetic immunology, computational immunology, and systems immunology.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep TechBasel, CH
Next City is a nonprofit news organization that publishes journalism and reporting on urban issues and change-making in cities, and hosts webinars featuring practitioners working on urban challenges.
Impact & Social GoodMedia & Entertainment
OurCluj is a research and design initiative in Cluj-Napoca, Romania that runs a "Values-Based Urban Living Laboratory" (VBULL), a cluster of multi-sectoral projects aimed at improving youth well-being by centering values of care and trust in urban innovation.
GovTechImpact & Social GoodWellness & FitnessCluj-Napoca, RO
Barbara Bulc(Lead designer of the OurCluj initiative; founder of Global Development and SDG Colab)Eric Gordon(Research lead)
Grupo FARO is a research and civil-society organization that produces studies and collective-action initiatives aimed at transforming societies toward equity, with a focus on Ecuador.
Impact & Social Good
TangaYetu is a programme under Fondation Botnar's OurCity Initiative that runs coordinated projects using digital technologies and AI to improve the wellbeing, education, and economic opportunity of young people in Tanga City, Tanzania.
AI & Machine LearningEdTechImpact & Social GoodTanga, TZ
Safetipin builds safety-audit tools and apps that collect and analyze data on the physical and social infrastructure of public spaces, scoring areas for personal safety with a gender lens.
Data & InfrastructureGovTechImpact & Social Good
Kalpana ViswanathAshish Basu
Workpay provides HR, payroll, compliance, and benefits administration services for businesses with remote and local teams across Africa.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechHR TechSaaSNairobi, KE
Paul Kimani(Founder)inJackson Kibigo Kungu(Founder)inEdwin Njuguna Mwangi(Executive Officer)David Maina Kariuki(Executive Officer)
BoardNgetha Waithaka(Director)inRyosuke Yamawaki(Director)in
Co-investorsY CombinatorAcadian Ventures Management, LlcNorrsken22P1 VenturesSaviu VenturesSoma Capital+9 more
Cluj for Youth runs youth-focused community initiatives in Romania's Cluj county, including a project called Cluj Youth Mapping aimed at identifying and connecting the area's youth community.
Impact & Social GoodSocial
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
4IR Youth Workforce MarketplaceAI&MeBASAibuFit4FutureHealthy Cities for AdolescentsOurBarranquillaOurCityOurKoforiduaRIGHTS ClickS²CitiesYouth NCD Programme
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Foundation Botnar made?
- Foundation Botnar has 23 tracked investments.
- What stage does Foundation Botnar invest at?
- Foundation Botnar invests at the Seed stage.
- What sectors does Foundation Botnar focus on?
- Foundation Botnar focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Digital Health, EdTech, Enterprise Software, Impact & Social Good, Mental Health, Wellness & Fitness.
- Where is Foundation Botnar located?
- Foundation Botnar is headquartered in Basel, CH.
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