NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 1 – Visa will hold its first accelerator program on February 13 this month, which will showcase innovations from emerging financial technology (fin-tech) firms from 18 countries across Africa.
The digital payment service provider launched the program in June last year to enable Africa’s expanding start-up community by bringing expertise, connections, technology, and investment funding.
The first cohort of Visa’s accelerator program will pitch their innovations to key ecosystem players, funding partners, angel investors, and venture capitalists.
The winning fintechs were picked from various sectors, including merchant payment solutions, lending infrastructure, banking-as-a-service, and B2B marketplaces.
The fintechs participating in the first demo day are Duqha, Power, Workpay, OkHi, and Eversend, among others.
The event runs in tandem with Visa’s call for applications for its second cohort of its accelerator program.
“Following the success of the inaugural accelerator, Visa is inviting a second round of disruptive startups to apply to the program, in an ongoing effort to support Africa’s growing fintech ecosystem,” said Visa Senior Vice President and Head of Product, Partnerships and Digital Solutions, Otto Williams.
“This unique experience will offer entrepreneurs an opportunity for mentorship and fast-tracked growth, while also providing them access to a wider network of partners and investors.”
Next month’s event will delve into an array of topics, including embedded finance, empowering merchants and SMEs, payment infrastructure enablers, the future of finance, and sustainable and inclusive finance.
