Entries open for Visa’s The Everywhere Initiative

Developers start your engines: entries open for Visa’s The Everywhere Initiative

Entrepreneurs invited to help create the next wave of payments innovation

AUCKLAND, August 2, 2016 – Visa, the global payments technology company, has today invited start-ups to enter a competition to use Visa APIs to solve business challenges and bring new ideas to payments. The Everywhere Initiative, launching in Australia and New Zealand, is open to entries untilAugust 31, before shortlisted candidates are invited to take part in a public pitch event on September 22 in Sydney.

“The Everywhere Initiative is designed to accelerate Visa’s vision of co-creating the future of payments. It’s one of many initiatives, including our API platform Visa Developer, to drive the next generation of commerce for consumers,” said Stephen Karpin, Group Country Manager for Visa in Australia, New Zealand & South Pacific.

This is the first time The Everywhere Initiative is being run in Australia and New Zealand, with previous competitions held in the USA and China. Visa is partnering on The Everywhere Initiative with Australian co-working space Tank Stream Labs, New Zealand business growth hub The Icehouse to attract an array of start-up talent.

Participants in The Everywhere Initiative can tackle three different challenges:

• The Everywhere API Consumer Challenge: How can startups use Visa API to improve the experience or solve a problem faced by consumers when they make or receive payments?

• The Everywhere API Commercial Challenge: How can Visa APIs be used to address a problem experienced by businesses when they make or receive payments?

• The Everyone, Everywhere Challenge: How can startups develop a solution that makes payments frictionless for consumers with disabilities, expanding access to Visa’s payments to everyone, everywhere?

Winners have the opportunity to win up to AUD$70,000 and the chance to run a pilot with Visa.

“APIs are the connective tissue that enables new payment experiences. We are excited to see what Australia and New Zealand’s start-up communities will create during this competition,” said Mr Karpin.

We saw incredible ideas come from the United States and China during our previous competitions. We are continuing to work with some of those winners and finalists today,” said Shiv Singh, Senior Vice President Global Head of Digital and Marketing Transformation at Visa’s headquarters in the United States. “Australia and New Zealand are both leading countries for payment innovation, so I’m looking forward to seeing the start-up responses to the three challenge questions. Ultimately this is about working together to move the dial in payment and marketing innovation for issuers, merchants, consumers and Visa.

Find out more about The Everywhere Initiative and how to enter: vi.sa/TEI

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