Up to $50,000 in prizes for payments and commerce startups
Visa's global open innovation pitch competition, with an Africa track for startups solving problems in payments and commerce.
Use when
You have a payments or commerce product and want prize money plus a route into a Visa pilot.
Skip when
You are not registered in an African country, or your product has no payments or commerce angle.
Status (8 Sep 2026): runs as an annual competition - check the Africa page for the current round. Prizes: up to US$50,000 total, split US$25,000 to the winner, US$15,000 for second and US$10,000 for third, plus a separate US$10,000 social-impact prize across Saudi Arabia, Kenya and South Africa only. Startups must be registered in an African country to enter the Africa track. Finalists join a three-week virtual immersion programme with Visa experts, with mentorship and potential pilot collaboration.
Equity-free acceleration plus up to $500,000 follow-on in Morocco
Kigali's venture studio and early-stage investor
Mini-MBA and seed prizes for Cameroonian women entrepreneurs
