Partnership opportunities with potential clients and partners across Visa’s global network
Region-wide market access
Masterclasses, design sprints, 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 expertsAccess to global VCs and angel investors.
Networking and exposure to international events and conferences.
Latest APIs from Visa Developers Platform to supercharge your product.

The whole program continues for about 6 months.

Pre-program phaseThe 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 an 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.

‍Core program phase (3 + 3)Main course (up to 3 months)During the Main course of the Program (up to 3 months; non-residential), you will enter a carefully crafted bunch of workshops, mentoring sessions, networking and design sprints, anchoring Visa’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 (up to 3 months)After the Main course, you will be entering in the PoC Support phase (another 3 months), where Program mentors in residence 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 engagementAfter 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.

No. In fact, we see true fintech innovation potential throughout the whole CEE region. Feel free to apply even if you are a company based outside ofTurkey,  Bulgaria or Greece.
Just have in mind that some of the Program’s activities take place locally in Istanbul, Sofia, Athens, if the situation allows. 

Due to pandemic the Program will be held online; though we provide nomadic membership in Kolektif House as per request. 

No. We can’t offer any accommodation options for the participants.
Still, we may recommend some trusted service providers for finding long-term or short-term accommodation.

Not as part of the program.

No. We take no equity in the participating startups.

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.

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.

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

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

As a general rule, we believe the most successful startups 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.

No. In fact, we see true fintech innovation potential throughout the whole Europe region. Feel free to apply even if you are a company based outside of Turkey. Just have in mind that some of the Program’s activities take place locally in Istanbul,  if the situation allows.