Airbel Ventures: IRC's New Humanitarian Impact Fund Fuels Breakthroughs

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has launched Airbel Ventures, a humanitarian impact investing fund designed to accelerate the introduction and scaling of breakthrough technologies in crisis-affected communities. The fund targets innovations with the potential to transform humanitarian response, from digital infrastructure for frontline health systems to climate-resilient agriculture. Many high-potential startups face barriers entering humanitarian systems, including complex procurement processes and limited testing opportunities in crisis settings. Airbel Ventures aims to bridge this gap by providing financing, humanitarian expertise, and real-world pilots through IRC programs in over 40 countries. The fund plans to mobilize an initial $6 million on the path to $55 million in catalytic capital to support high-impact products and services in some of the world’s most challenging operating environments. David Miliband, IRC President and CEO, emphasized that innovation is now a necessity in humanitarian response and that Airbel Ventures reflects the organization’s commitment to scaling technologies, including AI, to address urgent global challenges. Airbel Ventures’ first investment is in Signalytic, a company providing solar-powered computing devices that deliver reliable electricity and internet connectivity to rural health clinics. Many clinics in Africa lack stable power and connectivity, limiting access to digital tools for patient care, supply management, and health system coordination. The IRC will pilot Signalytic’s technology with its Nigeria Health team, demonstrating the viability of next-generation digital infrastructure in humanitarian contexts. The fund builds on the IRC’s Airbel Impact Lab, which has advanced more than twenty AI and technology initiatives in the past year, including anticipatory action tools, safe AI systems for frontline service delivery, and diagnostic innovations for emerging diseases. Key initiatives include the IRC’s strategic partnership with Anthropic, deploying AI tools for program support and advocacy; Signpost AI, a digital platform delivering localized humanitarian information to millions of people; and AI-powered smartphone diagnostics for high-burden diseases such as mpox, TB, malaria, and other neglected tropical diseases, currently being evaluated in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi. Through these initiatives and the launch of Airbel Ventures, the IRC aims to pair evidence-driven innovation with new financing models to extend the impact of every dollar and scale solutions across countries, crises, and sectors. The fund provides risk-tolerant catalytic capital to entrepreneurs developing high-potential solutions, with an evergreen model that reinvests returns to maximize long-term humanitarian impact. By combining innovation, AI, and strategic investment, Airbel Ventures seeks to transform humanitarian response and expand access to essential services for the most vulnerable communities worldwide.