Apply Now! 2024 Visa Accelerator Program for startups

Applications are now open for the 2024 Cohort of the Visa Accelerator Program. The 2024 Visa Accelerator Program was created to help startups unlock their growth potential and scale by collaborating on joint solutions that address the biggest opportunities in digital payments. Now in its fourth year, the Visa Accelerator Program has enabled the growth of some of Asia Pacific’s most prominent startups. 

With the visa accelerator program, you can unlock your startup’s potential and fast-track your success in the dynamic world of fintech. This groundbreaking initiative connects Africa’s brightest minds with experienced mentors, cutting-edge technology, and unparalleled investment opportunities. The Visa Accelerator Program is designed for growth-stage companies looking to expand their market reach, with a focus on product solutions, technical integration, and fast-tracked commercialization. 

Together with Visa’s payment experts, product architects, and business development teams, startups in the Visa Accelerator Program get to rapidly co-develop, test, and iterate new solutions, while pursuing tangible go-to-market opportunities with our extensive network of financial institutions, merchants, and digital partners over 3 months.

Aim and Benefits of the Visa Accelerator Program

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 our 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 is eligible to apply?

If your team has already designed a minimum viable product related to the proposed areas and challenges or has a market-ready solution, you are the right fit for the Visa Accelerator program. Ideally, you can apply to the Visa Accelerator program if your company fulfills the following requirements:

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/Themes

Visa Accelerator 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 eligible to apply and join the Visa Accelerator program:

Unlocking new payment flows. Are you ready to digitize cash-intensive P2P, B2C, B2B, and G2C payments to create new commerce opportunities?

Embedded Finance. Are you creating advanced intelligence solutions to enhance payment and finance experiences in B2C and B2B commerce models?

Empowering merchants and SMEs. Are you targeting to accelerate the growth of merchants and SMEs through digital payment solutions to foster financial inclusion?

Payment Infrastructure Enablers. Are you solving the ground layers of payment infrastructure and key enabling services?

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?

Sustainable and Inclusive Finance. Are you enhancing payment technology to contribute to a more equitable and inclusive financial system, reduce inequality, and create a positive impact on people, economies, and the environment?

Note: All Seed to Series A startups that are post-MVP and operating in Africa are encouraged to apply for the program.

2024 Visa Accelerator Program application process

Interested companies who meet the program requirements are encouraged to apply by completing the visa accelerator program application form. Before filling out the application form, your team is required to prepare a 4-mins pitch video answering the following questions:

1. What is the company’s solution?
2. Why are you the best founder(s) to solve the problem?
3. What is the company’s traction?
4. Why do you want to work with Visa?
5. What value do you hope to get out of the program?

Click on the link below for more details and application: https://africa.visa.com/visa-everywhere/innovation/visa-accelerator.html