Visa targets DACH-region startups

Visa’s Everywhere Initiative is a global innovation program that invites startups to solve specific challenges. The program first launched in the U.S. in 2015 and quickly expanded into a global program with more than 2,100 participating startups, which have collectively raised +$2 billion. The program activates startups in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa from over 40 different countries.

Previously, Visa aimed at startups from all over Europe and the Swiss startup Biowatch was among the winners. The initiative is now, for the first time, aimed at the German-speaking D/A/CH region. Startups are thereby invited to submit their applications to address the following changes.

Daily Customer Experience in Payments
In this challenge, startups will address the issues on how to leverage digital technologies to enhance the everyday life payment-related customer experience of end-users in the German-speaking markets. The focus of the challenge is on application fields such as shopping experience in offline, online or Omni channel environments to travel experience before, during or after traveling as well as customer banking experience.

Future Ecosystem for Payments
Applicants will develop solutions to enable technology-driven future use-cases powered by digital payments, which will become relevant for German-speaking markets within the next couple of years. Submissions can refer to smart cities, the IoT and machine-to-machine interactions, connected car or other mobility concepts but are not limited to these areas.

Eligible to apply are startups that are capable of addressing the provided challenges. The winners will receive a monetary prize fund of €50,000 and the opportunity to become part of a development program in which Visa and its partners support the winners in piloting new solutions.

Registration deadline closes on 20 August 2018.

(RAN)