The Empower Africa Business Platform is Now Live !!!
Visa has announced the 19 African startups selected to participate in the third cohort of its Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator program.
Representing 21 countries and covering diverse sectors such as embedded finance, SME lending, and digital banking, these startups highlight the continent’s thriving fintech ecosystem.
With 85% of the selected startups featuring female leadership—a significant increase from the program’s first edition—the Accelerator underscores the growing role of women in Africa’s innovation landscape.
Now in its third iteration, the Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator offers participants a 12-week intensive program that equips them with mentorship, resources, and strategic connections to scale their solutions.
The program culminates in an exclusive Demo Day, where startups showcase their innovations to investors, industry leaders, and potential partners.
Launched in 2023, the program has supported up to 45 startups annually with a 12-week intensive mentorship and funding opportunity.
This year’s participants include:
“We are delighted to partner with ISA to support the development of solar energy in Africa,” said Alain Ebobissé, CEO of Africa50. “This partnership will help to accelerate the deployment of solar energy in Africa and improve the lives of millions of Africans,” he added.
Egyptian fintech startup Qardy has announced a significant boost to its operations after securing a seven-figure US dollar pre-seed investment.
Saviu Ventures, a leading venture capital firm dedicated to investing in promising startups across Francophone Africa, has successfully reached the first close of its second fund, Saviu II.
Koolboks, a cleantech venture operating in Nigeria and France, has secured $ 11 million in Series A financing to expand its cooling-as-a-service model across Africa and establish its inaugural assembly facility in Nigeria.