Visa is making its network available to drive inclusive economic growth with the goal to give everyone, everywhere access to the global economy. This year, Visa opened the door to more than 400 Black American-owned startups to share their digital solutions that promote greater accessibility in the way we pay, save, and invest. Finalists are now ready to showcase their solution world-wide on TechCrunch.
Tune in here on TechCrunch on February 28th, 10:00 AM PST / 12:00 PM CT / 1:00 PM ET to watch four startup finalists go head-to-head at the Visa Everywhere Initiative Black Community special edition competition as they present their innovative solutions to a panel of expert judges.
Two monetary prizes will be awarded during the black community cohort:
- Overall Winner: $10,000 USD
- Audience Favorite: $10,000 USD
All finalists are eligible to continue participating in additional Visa Everywhere Initiative competitions throughout the year.
2022 Black Community Special Edition Finalists:
- Rodney Williams – Co-Founder & President | SoLo Funds
- Valerie Mosley – Founder & CEO | BrightUp
- Cylton Collymore – Co-Founder & CEO | Zimbali Networks
- Eddie de Guia – Co-Founder & CEO | EQL Finance
Judges:
- Adama Iwu – VP, Head of North America Government Solutions | Visa Inc.
- Don Hobson – Chief Information Officer | Visa Inc.
- Rubail Birwadker – SVP, Digital Partnerships & Fintech | Visa Inc.
- Glen Murray – VP Payment Services & Sales | Sutton Payments
- William Crowder – Founder & Managing Partner | Aperture
- Austin Clements – Chief Information Officer | Slauson & Co.
Keynote speaker:
- Donald Hawkins – Founder & CEO | Kinly
The Visa Everywhere Initiative is a network of 8,500 startups around the world and is growing. Since its 2015 launch, the program has helped startups in more than 100 countries collectively raise more than $16 billion in funding, addressing one of the biggest challenges that entrepreneurs face in their startup years. Every year, the Visa Everywhere Initiative has expanded to include unique startups solving unique problems in the world of payments. This year, the program intentionally focused on reaching a more diverse group of innovators. In the U.S., the Visa Everywhere Initiative 2022 special edition competitions will spotlight Black, Women and LGBTQ+ founded startups during Black History Month (February 2022), International Women’s Month (March 2022), and Pride Month (June 2022), respectively. Applications for the global competition are still open; startups that already have a partnership with an acquirer and are based in North America might get additional prizes with Visa Direct.