Are you a Polish fintech startup with really awesome ideas that’s a few pennies short? Are you looking for an influential and knowledgeable mentor for your business? For the first time, Polish startups and innovative companies can take part in Visa’s Everywhere Initiative. Fintech companies from nineteen European countries will be competing for a 50,000 euro prize and future co-operation with Visa and its partners.
“The consumer experience is at the heart of the payments industry, a sector that is accelerating and developing at a greater pace than ever before, spurred on by new technologies. Through competitions like Visa’s Everywhere Initiative, we are spurring technological innovation to drive acceptance and promote even greater convenience for consumers,” says Bill Gajda, Innovation and Strategic Partnership SVP at Visa.
The programme was initiated in the US in 2015 to support the fintech sector. What they’re trying to achieve is the introduction of modern technologies in finance. According to them, Debit cards are a thing of a past and the innovations are the future. Digitalisation of the sector is a seriously important issue with a lot of potential and the folks at Visa realise that. By now, almost a thousand startups got 1,7 billion dollars in the programme. Now, Visa sees it’s high time to enter Europe with “Everywhere Initiative” to see what the European companies have in mind.
Startups can submit their applications in three categories:
- Local Communities Challenge
- Regional Intercity Challenge
- Global API Challenge
“By focusing on local community and travel experience we hope to facilitate improvements to the everyday lives of people, wherever they are,” says Bill Gajda.
What’s in it for the winners? Besides money, the chance of getting advice from managers and specialists who can help you properly develop your ideas to be as successful as you can. Not enough? Perhaps the possibility of augmenting your business with Visa API through the Visa Developer platform sounds like something for you.
You can apply from today until May 17. If you’ve got a cool project that you believe Visa might enjoy, don’t hesitate and take a chance. The finalist will be able to present their ideas at Money 20/20 in Copenhagen.
