Visa Innovation Program Spain

The growth platform for Fintech stars


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Visa Innovation Program - Spain Edition is an equity-free pilot-centered collaboration platform that enables Fintechs to accelerate their response to the payment and commerce challenges of tomorrow, further enhance their own product propositions and provide visionary solutions for Visa’s vast network of clients and partners.

PoC / Partnership

Introduction to Visa and Visa’s clients to fast-track, test, validate and implement your solutions within Visa’s vast network of financial institutions and corporate partners.

Showcasing

Extensive exposure as part of the Program and recognition from some of the leading payment brands in the world.
Startup Mentorship

Market Access

Access to business opportunities in Spain and across Europe with regional support from most active fintech ecosystem players.
Market Access

Mentorship

Dedicated mentorship and support by prominent design thinking experts throughout the program to guide you and help you with all your business needs and PoC (Pilot study) efforts.
Perks

Access to Funding / VC

Engagement with the local and global VC and angel networks in Europe, MENA. Get support in funding and deals process.
Partnership

Tech Stack

Startup perks (up to_$200,000), essential tools and industry data, VisaAPI’s
All Perks

Program In Numbers

301
Startups Applied
15
Accepted Startups
150
Total Mentorship Hours
$5.9M
Total Funds Raised

PROGRAM TIMELINE

Visa Innovation Program Timeline

CHALLENGES

We are looking for the best and brightest companies to address our challenges. The applicants need to provide proven solutions to drive innovation and technological advancement for Visa and Visa’s clients.

If you believe your company addresses one or more of the challenges, you are welcome to apply and become part of the Visa Innovation family.

Advancing next-gen payments experiences

Can you unleash the potential of new technologies and infrastructures to introduce innovative payment journeys in Personal Finance Management, Wealth Management, and Insurtech, increase operational efficiency with high-quality financial data or make
real-time assessments to provide personalised offers? Visa Innovation Program is for you if you are working on:

- Blockchain technology (e.g. crypto-currencies, NFTs, smart contracts)
- Open banking / PSD2
- Digital wallets
- Installments, BNPL

Smart future

Empowering SMEs

Are you targeting to accelerate the growth of SMEs and businesses through digital payments solutions to foster financial inclusion?  Visa Innovation Program is for you if you are working on:

- Online/In-store card acceptance and acquiring
- Tap to Phone
- Installments, credit scoring, POS financing, BNPL
- Digital onboarding for financial services

New payment flows

Unlocking New Payment Flows

Are you ready to digitise cash intensive B2B, C2B, or B2C payments to create new commerce opportunities, utilising solutions such as Visa Direct?  Visa Innovation Program is for you if you are working on:

- Virtual payments credentials
- Funds disbursements (e.g. GIG economy, refunds, government payments, cross-border payments)
- Finance management platforms for businesses (e.g. payments, accounts, procurement)

Advancing payment experiences

Building Smarter and Sustainable Future

Can you help enhance payments technology to contribute to the transition to an eco-friendly economy and to drive inclusiveness, reduce inequality and create positive impact for people, economies and the environment? Are you working on:

- Urban mobility
- Government payments (e.g. Financial aid, social benefits, bill and tax payments)
- Interconnected services for citizens and tourists
- Financial education

Empowering SMEs

WHO SHOULD APPLY

If your team has already completed a proof of concept related to the proposed challenges or has a market-ready solution, you are the right fit for the Visa Innovation Program.

01 Stage

Startups and scale ups having a market-tested solution

02 Team

An experienced team with entrepreneurial spirit

03 Solution

A solution addressing one of our Challenges

04 Commitment

Dedicated, passionate founders committed to create solutions to achieve PoCs with banks and enterprises

CLASS OF 2022

Coinscrap Finance provides financial planning micro-services to banks and insurance companies extending their value proposal mainly to the millennial public and generating new business models from the analysis of their users’ data.
October is the leading lending platform to SME's in Continental Europ, it has developed a B2B SaaS offering for Embedded Finance and for Digital lending.
Impact investing platform that gives people the opportunity to finance sustainable projects and get a return.
Currency Alliance is a cloud-based customer loyalty program management solution designed for midsize and large retail businesses. It offers membership management, marketing communications, gift cards, and loyalty cards within a suite.
Divilo is a B2B financial platform for companies and the self-employed. Divilo is the fintech that adapts to the way you work.
Parcela Já is a Fintech company focused on installment payments, free of charge, for end customers. No bureaucracy. No waiting time.

MENTORS

PARTNERS

Visa, Finnovating and Hackquarters join forces and capabilities in this program to help Fintechs go beyond and foster collaboration with Financial Institutions and Corporate partners. Find more about each of us!

Want to make your pitch more relevant? Show us how you would partner with us. Learn about our capabilities and how to partner with Visa.

Visit The Resource Center

Visa is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of connected commerce on any device, and a driving force behind the dream of a cashless future for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce.

More at Visa.es
Payment
Finnovating

Finnovating is a Matching as a Service platform, the place where you can scale your business connecting FinTech, Corporations & Investors worldwide and co-creating with the best innovation.

More at Finnovating.com

Hackquarters is the leading startup accelerator and corporate innovation partner, based in London and Istanbul, combining superb global reach with deep local knowledge. Founded in 2015, Hackquarters is connecting the most promising startups with the leading innovative companies. Hackquarters has engaged with over 10,000 startups from 100+ countries; of which 800 are currently part of various programs.

More at Hackquarters.co
Finnovating Logo
Visa Innovation Program Logo

This website and Visa Innovation Program is operated by Hackquarters in Spain. Your relationship is with Hackquarters and applications are made to them. You should only submit publicly available information as the information you submit during your application will not be treated as confidential information. If you are selected, your involvement in the program is conditional on you signing the Visa Innovation Program Terms and Conditions, which form a binding contract between you and Hackquarters. Visa sponsors the program and may be involved in selection of participants, but Visa accepts no responsibility for the operation of the website or Innovation Program. For the avoidance of doubt, Hackquarters is not acting as an agent of Visa and has no authority to make commitments on behalf of Visa. As Hackquarters, we hereby notify you as a Data Controller that, according to European Personal Data Protection Law (the “Data Protection Law”), your personal data, including name, e-mail and phone information to be applied in Spain and shared by you upon our request as relevant, limited and proportional to the purposes for which the data are processed, will be processed with the purposes of the operation in Spain required by the program you applied, subject to the terms and conditions set out in the European Data Protection Law and other laws to the purposes for which the data are processed.

FAQ

What do you provide to the participating companies?

- Partnership opportunities with potential clients and partners across Visa’s global network
- European market access- Masterclasses, PoC and pilot support and peer to peer gatherings for practical knowledge exchange
- Diverse mentor network involving Visa, Hackquarters global fintech industry luminaries and bank experts
- Access to global VCs and angel investors.- Networking and exposure to international events and conferences
- Latest APIs from Visa Developers Platform to supercharge your product

What is the duration of the program?

The whole program continues for about 6 months.

What are the main phases of the Program?

Pre-program phase (approximately 6 weeks)
This phase starts with the open-call for Fintech to enroll. The Selection Jury will review your application to get acquainted with your product/solution and team and will evaluate potential matches with Visa/Visa Clients. It will also do active scouting to find prospective candidates. In case initial fit is identified, you might be invited to an interview - the main objective is to validate your interest in participating in the Program and examine the mutual interest for further collaboration throughout the Program Core Phase.
At the end of the call, and with the complementary information collected about each candidate, the Selection Jury will select a series of Fintech companies to participate in a digital event in which they will present their company and capabilities. As a result of this event, the participants will be selected for the next phase.

Core program phase (approximately 5-6 months)
- Main Course: During the Main course of the Program (2 - 3 months), if your Fintech has been selected, you will enter a carefully crafted bunch of workshops, mentoring sessions, networking and anchoring program’s design thinking methodology and will work to elevate your business model to better fit the defined market challenges. The Program’s objective is to have you in perfect shape and ready to examine future pilot opportunities with Visa/ Visa Clients with your product/solution being integrated into their offering. The main course’s schedule is tailored, depending on your/your mentors’ engagements and does not require you to be full-time engaged with the Program within this period.
- PoC Support: During this stage (2 - 3 months), you will be entering the PoC Support phase, where Program mentors will guide you to approach the proof-of-concept (PoC) phase faster. You will be working side by side with experienced entrepreneurs who will help you to navigate with speed and ease the enterprise environment.

Post-program engagement phase:
After the end of the Core program, you might be selected by Visa/Visa Client to launch a pilot. No matter the outcome, you will become part of our Visa Innovation Program family where we will further engage your team in community activities, bringing many business opportunities and fellow entrepreneurs for mutual support.

Do you engage with teams and projects from Spain only?

Though the Program is focused on the Spanish market; we are seeking true fintech innovation potential throughout Europe. Feel free to apply if you are a company based outside of Spain, but your capabilities are agnostic to the territory. Just have in mind, that some of the Program’s activities might take place physically in Spain, if the situation allows.

Do you provide funding for my company?

Not as part of the program

If I am a solo-founder do I need a team in order to join the program?

We do strongly believe that a capable team is what makes or breaks a successful startup company. Thus, we are looking for teams with diverse skillset, market expertise and entrepreneurial spirit.

Where can I find the Program Terms and Conditions?

They are available at https://bit.ly/VIPS2022

Is there a fee for participating in the program?

The program is completely free of charge for the participating companies and there is NO fee or equity stakeholding associated with taking part in the activities.

Where is the Visa Innovation Program taking place?

The activities associated with the Visa Innovation Program take place primarily online, due to the COVID situation.

Who can participate?

1- Startups and scale ups having a market-tested solution
2- An experienced team with an entrepreneurial spirit
3- A solution addressing one of our ‘areas to reinvent
4- Committed and dedicated founders, ready to lead future pilot-centred project

Would you support a project that only targets the local market, but is very good and can be very profitable?

As a general rule, we believe the most successful Fintech will be easily scalable and can target global markets. In the beginning, you may be piloting with national clients, but we are looking for global growth ambition.