Description
Unlock your startup's potential and fast-track your success in the dynamic world of fintech with the Visa Accelerator program. This groundbreaking initiative connects Africa's brightest minds with experienced mentors, cutting-edge technology, and unparalleled investment opportunities.
Benefits
Knowledge and Expertise: Gain a competitive edge with a tailored program covering product design, marketing, finance, sales and more. Receive experts’ guidance and strategic insights to accelerate your startup's growth and unlock its full potential.
Mentorship: Gain access to 1:1 mentoring from experts and founders in the ecosystem from Africa and beyond. Learn from the experience of others to solve your challenges.
Visa Specific Training: Benefit from exclusive Fintech and payment training modules designed by Visa. Enhance your understanding of the fintech landscape, payment ecosystem, and industry best practices. Startups will also get the chance to access Visa’s developer portal and experiment with Visa products and services.
Funding: Secure the funding you need to bring your innovative ideas to life. Showcase your startup during the Demo Day and you could be considered for an investment opportunity by Visa, Plug and Play, and the wider Venture Capital community.
Partnership Opportunities: Forge powerful partnerships that can drive your startup forward. The program aims to open doors to valuable collaboration opportunities with industry leaders, innovative companies, and strategic partners.
Product Perks: Gain access to a wide selection of product perks and discounts from over 100 vendors for a combined offer value of over $200,000 such as AWS with product credits, mentorship and fintech-specific training modules.
Who Should Apply
If your team has already designed a minimum viable product related to the proposed areas designed a minimum viable product related to the proposed challenges or has a market-ready solution, you are the right fit for the program.
Stage: Seed to Series A startups with at least an MVP
Solution: Building a solution addressing one of our themes
Traction: Market tested solution that has gained traction
Geography: Existing operations in Africa or demonstrated commitment to expand in Africa
Opportunity Areas
Visa Accelerator Program is looking for the best and brightest companies to address the following themes. If you believe your company is building solutions in one or more of these areas, you are welcome to apply and join the Visa Accelerator program.
Unlocking new payment flows
Are you ready to digitize cash intensive P2P, B2C, B2B, G2C payments to create new commerce opportunities?
Cross-border remittances and funds disbursements
Finance management platforms for B2B (e.g. payables, receivables, procurement, etc)
Social commerce and the creator economy
Government disbursements, collections, and payouts
Open banking and account-to-account solutions
Treasury-as-a-Service
Mobile money flows and interoperability
Embedded Finance
Are you creating advanced intelligence solutions to enhance payment and finance experiences in B2C and B2B commerce models?
Installments and flexible financing models
Transaction engagement and management (e.g. sustainability tracking, transaction controls, PFM)
Consumer loyalty and rewards
Banking-as-a-Service
Fintech-as-a-Service
Empowering merchants and SMEs
Are you targeting to accelerate the growth of merchants and SMEs through digital payment solutions to foster financial inclusion?
Next-generation omni-channel online and face-to-face payments
Installments, POS financing, and BNPL
Financing, alternative lending and risk mitigation structures
Merchant value add solutions (e.g working capital optimization, supplier marketplace, inventory management, etc.)
Merchant loyalty and engagement
Payment Infrastructure Enablers
Are you solving the ground layers of payment infrastructure and key enabling services?
Authentication and fraud solutions
KYC, customer onboarding and identity management
Payment processing and facilitation
B2B platform enablers
Credit scoring and risk management solutions
Data solutions and insights
The Future of finance
Are you building at the frontier of payment and Fintech? Are you integrating cutting edge technology to build the future of Finance?
Integration of AI / ML into payment solutions
Leveraging blockchain and decentralized technologies
Programmable money
Crypto risk, fraud, data and intelligence
Custodial and non-custodial infrastructure
CBDC and stablecoin solutions
Sustainable and Inclusive Finance
Are you enhancing payment technology to contribute to a more equitable and inclusive financial system, reduce inequality and create positive impact for people, economies, and the environment?
Financial services for underserved communities or climate-vulnerable communities
Affordable and accessible financial solutions
Impact management and measurement
Carbon footprint and climate neutral solutions
Timeline
Applications open: January 8th, 2024
Applications close: February 29th, 2024
Cohort announced: May 3rd, 2024
First week of the Cohort: May 20th, 2024
Last week of the Cohort: August 30th, 2024
Find application form here