Y Combinator is a startup accelerator that invests in a large number of startups twice a year. It created a new model for funding startups. Twice a year, the company invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups. The startup accelerator works intensively with the companies for three months, to get them into the best possible shape and refine their pitch to investors. Each cycle culminates in Demo Day when the startups present their companies to a carefully selected, invite-only audience.

Y Combinator

Microtraction is an investment platform that funds Africa’s most remarkable teams with technical founders at the earliest stages of their venture and helps them build enduring companies  They identify the best early-stage, growth-driven technology startups with the potential to become billion dollar companies. They get startups to a point where they are impressive enough to raise more funding or join world-class accelerators. Finally, they introduce startups to later stage investors and help them navigate the process of raising a larger round of funding.

Microtraction

Berrywood Capital

Hacked Capital invests in the next generation of startups and digital assets.

Hacked Capital

Mozilla provides internet solutions. It offers firefox, a web browser; thunderbird 2, an email application raindrop, a prototype messaging tool which enables its users to manage a stream of messages coming from sources and rainbow, a developer prototype that brings video and audio recording to firefox 4.

Mozilla

VentureSouq (VSQ) is a MENA-based venture capital fund manager with a global portfolio. VSQ manages thematic funds, with a current focus on FinTech and ClimateTech.

VentureSouq

Friále invest in start-ups all over the world who are doing big things. They act like the investors they would want as founders. They know what this is, because they are founders themselves. They usually invest at the seed stage, with the aim to follow-on as the company grows.

Friále

Swell Partners their category agnostic investment strategy, invests in seed and series A stage companies.

Swell Partners

Saviu is a venture capital fund focusing on African early-stage startups.

Saviu Ventures

9Yards Capital provides entrepreneurs with long-term, strategic capital and have a deep understanding of how governments and regulators operate. They take a focused approach to the industries they invest in and have a proven track record in financial services and logistics investing.

9Yards Capital

Samurai Incubate Africa invests in early-stage start-ups and provides support in management, marketing, sales and HR.

Samurai Incubate Africa

P1 Ventures works as a venture capital firm. They specialize in early-stage industrial technology firms in Africa.

P1 Ventures

Wallets Africa

Wallets Africa is a Nigerian fintech company that has revolutionized financial services by offering innovative digital wallets and payment solutions. Their flagship product, Wallets Africa, is a multi-currency digital wallet that enables seamless onboarding, account creation, and cashback rewards for transactions. Additionally, it facilitates effortless ether transactions, empowering users to engage with the world of cryptocurrency.

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Nigeria’s Wallets Africa launches multi-currency wallet

Wallets Africa is a Nigerian fintech company that has revolutionized financial services by offering innovative digital wallets and payment solutions. Their flagship product, Wallets Africa, is a multi-currency digital wallet that enables seamless onboarding, account creation, and cashback rewards for transactions. Additionally, it facilitates effortless ether transactions, empowering users to engage with the world of cryptocurrency.
Wallets Africa has achieved remarkable milestones since its inception in 2016. The company successfully launched its consumer wallet in Nigeria, attracting 250,000 users and establishing itself as a vital player in bringing financial services to a broader audience. Furthermore, Wallets Africa pioneered business digital banking, boasting over 20,000 business accounts and leading the way in overdraft services for Nigerian businesses.
The company's dedication to innovation extends to its prepaid card product, cementing its position as a leader in consumer card issuing. This secure and convenient payment solution has garnered recognition, with Wallets Africa participating in the Ecobank Fintech Challenge 2018 and securing a USD 1.6 million investment from prominent investors like Swell Partners, Microtraction, Michael Seibel, and other Silicon Valley backers.
Wallets Africa's multi-currency wallet, Spring, exemplifies the company's commitment to democratizing financial services. Spring enables users to earn attractive cashbacks, perform ether transactions seamlessly, and leverage various use cases. With its user-centric approach and cutting-edge technology, Wallets Africa continues to redefine the financial landscape in Nigeria and beyond.

Dwolla is a leading provider of payment services specializing in account-to-account (A2A) payments. The company offers an innovative API solution called Dwolla Connect, designed for mid to enterprise-sized businesses. Dwolla Connect simplifies the process of replacing legacy, batch-based technology with modern infrastructure, enhancing the management and reconciliation of payments across multiple financial institutions. With Connect's bank-agnostic approach, businesses can leverage their existing commercial accounts at top US banks, including JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Wells Fargo, to effortlessly initiate payments by embedding Dwolla's API into their existing applications and payment flows.
Dwolla Connect serves a wide range of industries, such as financial services, lending, banking-as-a-service, marketplaces, and insurance, among others. Its API-first approach enables businesses to effortlessly integrate A2A payments into their apps or connect with existing ERP/cash management systems, offering a centralized location for payment information. Dwolla Connect provides substantial time and cost savings by allowing businesses to embed a single API, avoiding multiple bank integrations and simplifying their treasury management.
Over the years, Dwolla has expanded its offerings, introducing products like Dwolla Balance, a digital wallet solution, and exploring new payment methods and value-added services. The company has partnered with industry leaders like MX, a leader in open finance APIs, and Mastercard to enhance its payment capabilities and offer consumers more choice in managing their money.

Dwolla

Papaya is a SaaS fintech company that provides global payroll and payments technology through its comprehensive platform called Papaya Payroll OS. The platform automates payroll processes, ensures compliance, offers flexibility, and provides robust security features. Papaya's integrated approach connects data and processes from various HR and enterprise resource planning (ERP) tools, creating a single source of truth. This turns payroll, a company's biggest expense and liability, into a strategic asset that enables growth at scale.
One of Papaya's key offerings is a personal portal that empowers employees with convenient access to their payroll financial information. In March 2023, the company introduced a mobile app as part of this portal, allowing employees to securely view and manage their payslips, work-related documents, and bank account details on the go. This app caters to the growing trend of employees accessing payroll information via mobile devices, with 53% of employees doing so as of March 2023.
Papaya's technology has been recognized by leading global analysts for its disruptive approach in workforce management and payments. The company has received accolades such as being included in the Forbes Cloud 100 and CNBC's Top Startups for the Enterprise.

Papaya

Citcon is a leading global payment gateway and service provider, offering innovative solutions that enable businesses to accept payments from consumers using various mobile wallets, payment apps, and methods. The company's technology empowers merchants to expand their customer base and streamline the payment process, enhancing the overall shopping experience. Citcon's platform allows merchants to securely process millions of payment transactions daily from over 200 payment methods, including popular digital wallets like Alipay, WeChat Pay, PayPal, and Venmo.
Founded in 2015, Citcon pioneered as the first authorized US merchant acquirer for WeChat Pay and Alipay, two of the most widely used mobile wallet providers in China. Over the years, the company has expanded its partnerships to include more than 20 global wallet providers, reaching over 2 billion mobile wallet users worldwide. Citcon's technology integrates seamlessly with various point-of-sale (POS) and ecommerce systems, making it accessible to merchants across diverse industries.
Citcon's solutions cater to the needs of businesses of all sizes, from Fortune 1000 companies like L'Oréal, Hermes, and Nordstrom to major retailers such as Macy's, Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts, and Revolve. Its platform is deployed at over 30,000 merchant sites and locations globally.
In October 2021, Citcon closed a USD 30 million Series C funding round, backed by leading global investors such as Norwest Venture Partners, Cota Capital, Sierra Ventures, Sonae, and East-West Bank. The company has expanded its presence with regional offices in the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia to serve its global clientele better.
Citcon has also diversified its offerings to include cryptocurrency payments. In May 2021, the company partnered with Flexa, a leading pure-digital payments network, enabling merchants worldwide to accept cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Dogecoin as payment options.

Citcon

PayNearMe is a leading bill payment platform provider that enables unbanked consumers to make cash payments for various services. The company's technology generates a barcode that consumers can take to participating merchant locations within their vicinity. At the store, customers scan the barcode, provide cash to the cashier, and receive a receipt confirming the payment. This innovative solution solves the challenge of accepting cash payments in an increasingly digital world.
PayNearMe's platform supports multiple payment methods, including cash, credit/debit cards, and bank accounts. The company has built an extensive merchant network of over 40,000 retail locations across the US, including partnerships with major chains like Walgreens, CVS Pharmacy, Walmart, and Family Dollar Stores. By March 2022, PayNearMe had expanded its network by nearly 50% over the previous 12 months, with the addition of nearly 9,000 Walgreens and Duane Reade locations.
PayNearMe offers a seamless payment experience for customers while enabling businesses to increase foot traffic and potential incremental sales. The company focuses on partnering with convenience stores, dollar stores, grocers, and pharmacies, as these merchant categories align well with their business model.

PayNearMe

Paydiant was a company that provided a cloud-based white-label mobile wallet platform enabling merchants and banks to deploy their own secure mobile wallet solutions under their brand names. Its patented technology allowed merchants to integrate mobile wallet functionality, including mobile payments, loyalty programs, offers, and e-receipts within their existing mobile apps.
The platform assisted merchants in acquiring new customers and increasing sales by delivering targeted offers and personalized loyalty programs directly to consumer mobile devices. Payment credentials were never stored on users' phones but instead securely held in a PCI-compliant data center, enhancing transaction security.
Paydiant's flexible platform supported various payment instruments like debit, credit, gift, and private-label cards while providing valuable insights into customer spending behavior. It facilitated seamless integration with existing point-of-sale systems across popular smartphone models, eliminating hardware upgrade requirements. The company's technology was compatible with emerging standards like Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).
In March 2015, Paydiant was acquired by PayPal to bolster the latter's in-store mobile payment capabilities and enable merchant partners to build branded mobile wallets integrated with PayPal's services.

Paydiant

These enable users to utilize their wallets for various transactions at virtually any merchant that accepts digital wallet payments without any restrictions on usage.

These enable users to carry out transactions at a selected list of merchants and locations. Merchants may need to set up predefined agreements with digital wallet issuers to accept payments from the wallet.

These are typically developed by merchants themselves and allow customers to use their wallets to make payments at the merchants’ own stores. Users are unable to use these wallets for transactions outside the issuing merchant.

Companies that offer white-label solutions for businesses and fintechs to set up their own digital wallet offering.

Leverages AI/ML to conduct various AML/KYC checks on customers and transactions processed through digital wallets

Wallets

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