Visa Launches Cohort 5 of the Africa Fintech Accelerator Program
Visa, a global leader in digital payments, has officially opened applications for the fifth cohort of the Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator—a 12-week program designed to support African fintech start-ups with the tools, mentorship, and resources they need to grow and scale their solutions.
Startups based in Africa with a minimum viable product (MVP) or a market-ready solution are invited to apply before the deadline on August 15, 2025.
As part of this announcement, Visa has also unveiled the 22 start-ups selected for the fourth cohort of the program. These innovators, representing 12 African countries, aim to address some of the continent’s most pressing fintech challenges. Their solutions span across small and medium business digitization, lending, cross-border payments, payroll systems, B2B transactions, AI-powered payments, social commerce, climate insurance, and neo-banking.
Launched in 2023, the Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator has supported a total of 64 fintechs across three cohorts. Collectively, these companies have achieved an estimated portfolio value of $1.1 billion. During the training period, participants generated over $3 million in revenue, with alumni raising more than $55 million in funding after graduating from the program.
The accelerator provides tailored mentorship, practical training, valuable networking opportunities, and access to funding and resources. The initiative is focused on advancing Africa’s financial technology sector and driving digital transformation across the continent.
Speaking at the launch, Chad Pollock, General Manager and Vice President of Visa East Africa, said, “Visa is committed to fostering innovation and promoting access and inclusion within Africa’s financial ecosystem. As digital transformation accelerates across the continent, we are pleased to invite applications for Cohort 5 of the Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator, in alignment with our mission to support emerging start-ups in advancing their innovative solutions. We are also proud to introduce participants of Cohort 4, whose diverse initiatives are set to deliver meaningful benefits to individuals, merchants, and businesses.”
The selected start-ups for Cohort 4 include Lemonade Payments, Muda, Sevi, Twiva, and Shop Okoa from Kenya; Credify Africa from Uganda; MNZL and Flend from Egypt; Startbutton, Vittas, Shiga Digital Inc, and PressPay Ng from Nigeria; BigDot.ai and ChatCash from Zimbabwe; Hsabati and Woliz from Morocco; Maishapay from the Democratic Republic of Congo; Motito from Ghana; Zazu from South Africa; OKO Finance Ltd from Ivory Coast; and mystocks.africa from Botswana.
The Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator is part of Visa’s broader commitment to Africa’s digital future, which includes a pledge to invest $1 billion by 2027 to help transform the payments ecosystem.
The program will culminate in an in-person Demo Day, where participating start-ups will have the opportunity to pitch their innovations to key players in the ecosystem, including funding partners, angel investors, and venture capitalists.
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