Sponsored Content

Startups compete to transform the future of commerce with Visa

Investment in innovation means making sure good ideas get in the hands of more consumers. That’s where Visa Everywhere Initiative comes in. Startups and fintechs are driving critical change in the payment industry. Transactions on a digital device grew from $4.1T in 2019 to $5.2T in 2020, accelerated in part by the pandemic. Digital access allowed consumers to get what they needed when they needed it most, thanks to the innovative minds behind startups and fintechs worldwide. 

At Visa, we are making our network available to drive inclusive economic growth with the goal to give everyone, everywhere access to the global economy. As part of our purpose to enable people to seamlessly move money around the world, Visa opened the door to nearly 2,000 global startups around the world to share their brilliant digital solutions to solve challenges on how we pay, save, and invest — driving accessibility for more people. 

Five finalists from regions around the world headed to the global stage on September 14, 2021, tuning into TechCrunch to watch these top startups go head-to-head at the Visa Everywhere Initiative Global Finals. Each presented their innovative solutions to five distinct payment problems to a panel of expert judges. Audiences voted virtually for their favorite startup solution. 

Jack Forestell, Executive VP & Chief Product Officer at Visa, joined the event as a special guest to announce the winners together with Kim Kadlec, SVP, Global Marketing Solutions & Customer Marketing at Visa.  

Four monetary prizes were awarded during the global finals:

  • Overall Winner: $50,000 USD — Moov (North America)
  • Audience Favorite: $25,000 USD — Moov
  • 2nd Place: $15,000 USD – Finerio Connect (Latin America and the Caribbean)
  • 3rd Place: $10,000 USD – PearlPay (Asia Pacific)

The overall winner, 2nd place-winner, and 3rd place-winner were all eligible to win the Audience Favorite prize.

Jack Forestell, Executive VP & Chief Product Officer at Visa, crowned Moov as the global winner.

Reacting to his wins, Moov Founder and CEO Wade Arnold said, “The [Visa Everywhere Initiative] program has opened doors that a year-old company never could have been able to access — the level of executives, talent and support from Visa. Thank you for having this venue so that we could actually build something that we have been dreaming about for the last decade.”

5 startup finalists:

Spark Perreras | Co-Founder & CEO, PearlPay – Asia-Pacific Finalist

Giorgi Tsurtsumia | Co-Founder & Co-CEO, PAYZE – Central Europe, Middle East, and Africa Finalist

Alina Lapusneanu | Founder & CEO, Fiskl – Europe Finalist

Nick Grassi | Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Finerio Connect – Latin America and the Caribbean Finalist

Wade Arnold | Founder & CEO, Moov Financial – North America Finalist

Expert panel of judges:

  • Mary Kay Bowman | SVP, Global Head of Buyer and Seller Solutions, Visa (Global)
  • Kim Kadlec | SVP, Global Marketing Solutions & Customer Marketing, Visa (Global)
  • Romina Seltzer | SVP, Head of Product and Innovation, Visa (LAC)
  • Alex Sion | Managing Director & Co-Head, Global Consumer Bank, D10X, Citi
  • Otto Williams | SVP, Head of Partnerships, Innovation and Digital Solutions, Visa (CEMEA)
  • Jorge Zebadua | Head of Payments, Mexico, BBVA