Visa has announced the opening of applications for the fifth cohort of its Africa Fintech Accelerator. This program is designed to fast-track the growth of innovative startups across the continent. Applications are open until August 15, with selected startups set to join a 12-week intensive virtual program that includes mentorship, product development support, networking, and funding opportunities.
Visa also unveiled 22 startups joining the fourth cohort of the accelerator. These represent 12 countries and diverse fintech innovations ranging from AI-powered payments and digital wallets to climate insurance and DeFi infrastructure.
The Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator was launched in 2023 and has supported 64 startups across 17 African countries, with a collective portfolio value of $1.1 billion. Startups that have completed the program have gone on to raise over $55 million and have reported a revenue uplift of over $3 million during the training period.
“Visa is committed to fostering innovation and promoting access and inclusion within Africa’s financial ecosystem,” said Chad Pollock, General Manager and VP, Visa East Africa. “As digital transformation accelerates across the continent, we are pleased to invite applications for Cohort 5… and proud to introduce the participants of Cohort 4.”
What Startups Need to Know about Cohort 5
To qualify for the fifth cohort, startups must have at least a minimum viable product (MVP) or a market-ready solution, and must be based in Africa. Visa will evaluate applicants based on the following criteria.
- Alignment with Visa’s priorities such as:
- Embedded finance
- Digital payments
- SME & merchant empowerment
- Sustainable & inclusive finance
- Unlocking new payment flows
- Payment infrastructure
- Product-market fit and user traction
- Scalability across African markets
- Team strength and commitment
Visa has placed special emphasis this year on startups solving for cross-border payments, AI-powered financial tools and financial inclusion for underserved communities
There’s no guaranteed upfront investment, but up to 50% of the selected startups may receive funding offers from Visa or its innovation partner, Plug and Play, especially around Demo Day. Startups also pitch to a curated audience of VCs, angels, and strategic partners, and receive over $200,000 in vendor perks and credits.
Visa has previously invested in four startups from its inaugural cohort including
- Oze (Ghana) – embedded finance and digital bookkeeping for SMEs
- Workpay (Kenya) – payroll and HR for African enterprises
- OkHi (Nigeria) – digital address verification
- ORDA (Nigeria) – restaurant management SaaS for African F&B businesses
Startups in Cohort 4
The 22 startups selected for Cohort 4 are solving real problems across digital finance, lending, SMB digitization, neobanking, and more.
- BigDot.ai (Zimbabwe) – Digital transformation for SMEs using blockchain
- ChatCash (Zimbabwe) – AI-powered payments through messaging apps
- Credify Africa (Uganda) – Trade finance for African importers
- Flend (Egypt) – Digital SME lending in North Africa
- Hsabati (Morocco) – Business operations and financing platform
- IPT Africa (Mauritius) – Cross-border payments & payroll
- Lemonade Payments (Kenya) – White-label blockchain wallet solutions
- Maishapay (DRC) – B2B financial tools including payroll & POS
- MNZL (Egypt) – Asset-backed consumer credit
- Motito (Ghana) – Asset financing marketplace
- Muda (Kenya) – Stablecoin-powered cross-border exchange
- mystocks.africa (Botswana) – Unified African stock investing platform
- OKO Finance Ltd (Ivory Coast) – Climate insurance for farmers
- PressPayNg (Nigeria) – Edtech finance platform for students
- Sevi (Kenya) – Streamlined B2B credit and stock financing
- Shiga Digital Inc (Nigeria) – Decentralized finance access
- ShopOkoa (Kenya) – AI-driven microenterprise credit
- Startbutton (Nigeria) – Local currency payments for cross-border merchants
- Twiva (Kenya) – Influencer-driven social commerce platform
- Vittas (Nigeria) – Credit and tools for healthcare providers
- Woliz (Morocco) – Digital hub for nano-stores
- Zazu (South Africa) – Neobank for African SMBs
These startups will pitch at the Demo Day to showcase their progress to investors.
Visa does not yet have formal partnerships with East African banks or telcos under the accelerator but sees broader ecosystem benefits as it has committed $1 billion to transform Africa’s payment infrastructure by 2027.
How to Apply
Interested African startups can apply for Cohort 5 of the Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator before the August 15, 2025 deadline via the official Visa program page.
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Also Read: Visa Invests in Konnect and PayTic Following Africa Accelerator Demo Day