Visa’s Everywhere Initiative in Sub Sahara Africa 2018 (Win up to $50,000)

Deadline: May 31, 2018

Applications for the Visa’s Everywhere Initiative in Sub Sahara Africa are now open. Visa’s Everywhere Initiative is a global open innovation program tapping into startup communities to drive regional business objectives, curate the startup ecosystem for Visa clients and accelerate bigger and bolder ideas, enriching consumer experience. Participate in Visa’s ideation for a chance to win up to 50 000 USD and a chance to have a support development program with Visa.

Visa is looking for the best and brightest companies to provide an innovation solution that helps people reach their goals and aspirations through breakthrough digital or social tools. Wherever you want to be, Visa’s Everywhere Initiative helps you get there.

Coming to Sub Sahara Africa for the first time, Visa’s Everywhere Initiative offers participants a chance to win up 50,000 USD and a chance to have a support development program with Visa business or partnership with Visa’s partners.

Challenge Briefs

1. Brief 1: To move away from cash on delivery (COD) culture for ecommerce in Africa.
   How can your startup leverage Visa Developer APIs to either: Enable smaller merchants to accept payments in-store digitally OR Provide a safe and secure solution for online merchants to drive eCommerce and reduce cash on delivery?
2. Brief 2: Leveraging partner social media platforms like FaceBook to create amazing bank to business onboarding user journeys in order to remotely enable businesses to accept digital payments.
   How can your company use Visa’s APIs to leverage mass reach partner platforms like Facebook to help businesses operating in fast-paced consumer centric environments improve cash flow and receive payments?
3. Brief 3: Driving Financial Inclusion
   How can your startup leverage technology to provide services that are functional for illiterate customers to provide them with secure transaction experiences that build and enhance their confidence in the banking system?

Prizes

• 3 winners of 25 000 usd each.
• Each Company selected as a Brief Winner will be awarded $25,000 DOLLARS. If Visa determines in its sole discretion that a Brief Winner has created a standout solution, Visa may provide further investment and mentoring support to that Brief Winner, subject to the parties agreeing a suitable development program and additional terms for the investment.

If you are invited to present at the Event as a finalist, Visa will pay for your reasonable travel costs to and from the Event and your reasonable accommodation costs and other reasonable expenses incurred in connection with the Event provided that these costs are agreed in advance. You will be responsible for obtaining any required visa or travel documents needed to attend the event.

Eligibility

• You may only register for the opportunity to participate in the Initiative if you are a company incorporated or registered to do business in the Sub-saharan Africa at the time of registration
• All participants from your Company are at least 18 years old at the time of registration (or at least the age of majority in your/their jurisdiction of residence.
• In addition, employees of Visa or its designee(s) are not be eligible to submit a solution or participate in the Initiative.
• Visa may request valid proof of eligibility, including with respect to identity, corporate organisation, age and other relevant documentation, and may disqualify a participant at any time without notice for any reason, including, without limitation, if Visa determines (in its sole discretion) that the provided proof is not sufficient or the participant does not otherwise meet the Initiative’s eligibility criteria, or the participant fails to comply with these Terms or attempts in any way to disrupt or undermine the Initiative or to circumvent any of these Terms.
• You are not required to make any purchase or pay any fee to register, participate, or receive an award or other recognition in the Initiative nor will you be required to make available any ownership or equity stake in your Company to participate in this Initiative. However, you and your Company (if applicable) are responsible for all expenses you may choose to incur in the course of developing your solution.

Solution Guidelines

Your solution should be designed to meet all of the following criteria, each as determined by Visa in its sole discretion:

• Offers new functionality, features or tools that solve one of the three Challenges;
• Incorporates and addresses an emerging digital or social trend;
• Is a minimum potentially viable product that can be easily integrated into a pilot with Visa and partner companies;
• Does not contain, depict, imply or refer (explicitly or otherwise) to any content that:
  • is inappropriate, objectionable, or unsuitable;
  • disparages or refers negatively to Visa, the Initiative, or any other person or entity;
  • unnecessarily refers to any third party (person or entity); or
  • violates any law or any third party’s intellectual property, privacy, personality or other rights (“Third-Party Rights”)
• Does not conflict with any of Visa’s core values or brand guidelines or positioning, and is not otherwise likely to be objectionable to Visa;
• Does not contain malicious code, create an information security risk or otherwise compromise the integrity of the solution or related software, data or property, whether alone or integrated with any Visa experience, product or service.

Application

All registrations and submissions must be received by 11:59 P.M. BST on May 31, 2018 to be considered for the Initiative.

For questions about the Initiative please email Visa at one of the following email addresses: [email protected].

Click here to apply.

For more information, visit Visa’s Everywhere Initiative.