LEVEL UP YOUR STARTUP
Visa Everywhere Initiative 2023
Get your startup on the world stage
Visa Everywhere Initiative is an open innovation program that helps startups like yours unlock new opportunities — and can give you a global platform to demonstrate your ground-breaking solutions. The program first launched in the U.S. in 2015, and quickly expanded into a global program. To date, nearly 12,000 startups have applied to the program — many of which now work with Visa or its clients. Applying is the first step towards getting Visa’s attention.
Key competition details
The 2023 Ethiopia competition is going to be more exciting than ever before — with an amazing opportunity for selected finalists to get in front of Visa’s executives, potential clients, and investors. Apply now if you’re a startup with great products already in market and gaining traction — and are looking for an extra push from a global, trusted brand like Visa to gain scale.
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- Apply here.
- Visa will select 5 finalists who are located in Ethiopia and/or have a significant operations in the country. These 5 finalists will be invited to present their solutions in front of a panel of expert judges.
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We are looking for products that deliver innovative payment and commerce solutions to consumers and businesses. These include but are not limited to:
Enablers of digital services and digital issuers
- Blockchain and cryptocurrency
- Crowdfunding
- Banking as a service
- BIN sponsors
- Issuer/ Processors
- Program managers
Digital issuance
- Blockchain and cryptocurrency
- Alternative lending
- Personal financial management
- Money transfer and remittance
- Digital banking (aka neobanks)
- Digital wallets, P2P, and transfers
- Employee benefits
- Payables
- Corporate cards (aka expense management)
Value-add for merchants and/or consumers in regard to finance
- Data and analytics
- ID, authentication, and security
- InsurTech
- Loyalty
- Merchant services and tools
- Process and pay infrastructure
- Retail technology
Small/medium-sized business
- Money movement (disbursements, intra-account, P2P vendor, payments)
- Acceptance (e-commerce, mobile acceptance)
- Risk management (chargebacks, etc.)
- Brand management (community building, etc.)
New categories
- Sustainable Fintechs
- Urban Mobility
- Risk
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- Winner - $25000
- 2nd Runner Up - $15000
- 3rd Runner Up - $10000
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VEI Announcement by Al: mid-June
Application Window: 1–20 August
Selection of Finalists: 21–25 August
5 finalists presentation prep.: 28 August – 8 September
Finals: 15 September
Opportunities with Visa Direct
With Visa Direct, you can empower customers to send and receive money to billions of endpoints worldwide,* in any of 160 transaction currencies.
Do you already have a partnership with an acquirer? If so, let us know, as there might be additional opportunities for you. Visit our resource center for more information about how Visa Direct could help you.
*Availability varies by market. Please refer to your Visa representative for more information on availability.
It’s rewarding to win
Validation
Exposure
Monetary Prize
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Past winners share their stories
“Winning the Visa Everywhere Initiative gave us access to Visa executives and visibility that enables us to partner with other institutions around the world.”
– Ayo Ariwake, Co-Founder & CTO, ThriveAgric. 2022 Winner
2022 Visa Everywhere Initiative winners
Relive the excitement of the 2022 Global Finals in Qatar. Watch the event here
LATIN AMERICA
Alejandro Vega
Huli is a platform that connects patients, doctors and other healthcare services.
ASIA PACIFIC
Mriganka Pattnaik
Merkle Science is the next generation predictive Web3 risk & intelligence platform.
NORTH AMERICA
Christine De Wendel
sunday is the fastest digital payment for restaurants and the industry’s future.
CENTRAL EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST and AFRICA
Ayo Arikawe
ThriveAgric provides small holder farmers access to finance, insight and distribution.
EUROPE
Dan Saunders
Zeti is a fintech enabling pay per use financing of sustainable transport.