Latest news with #PlugandPlay
Zawya
4 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
IPT Africa Becomes First Mauritian Fintech Selected for the Visa Accelerator Program
IPT Africa ( a purpose-driven leader in the B2B global cross-border payments sector, is proud to announce its selection into the prestigious Visa Accelerator Program - Africa 2025, becoming the first Mauritian company to join this highly competitive, pan-African fintech cohort. Chosen from thousands of high-growth startups across the continent, IPT Africa now joins an elite group of 22 innovators for a 12-week accelerator powered by Visa and Plug and Play, designed to fast-track scalable, transformative payment solutions. The program delivers exclusive access to Visa's developer ecosystem, tailored mentorship, technical integrations, and potential strategic investments. 'We're incredibly proud to represent Mauritius on this global stage,' said Mark O Sullivan, CEO of IPT Africa. 'This isn't just a milestone for our company, it's a signal that Mauritian innovation can compete and lead across Africa. Our selection in the Visa Accelerator Program will accelerate our mission to simplify, connect, and power payments across the continent's most dynamic markets.' A Win for Mauritius' Fintech Ecosystem IPT Africa's selection reinforces Mauritius' emergence as a fintech and digital finance hub, capable of developing export-ready technology serving the wider African region. It also showcases the growing capacity for jurisdictions like Mauritius to incubate world-class fintech ventures with regional impact. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of IPT Africa. IPT Africa Media Contact: Adrian Ashton Chief Marketing Officer Email: adrian@ About IPT Africa: Headquartered in Mauritius, IPT Africa is revolutionising the way companies collect, convert, and pay across African markets. Its platform offers transparent payment solutions in 106+ currencies, real-time cross-border payments, and seamless collections in over 21 countries across Africa. Built on AI-powered compliance, rapid settlement rails, and enterprise-grade security, IPT Africa empowers corporates, payroll providers, NGOs, and financial institutions with the tools to operate confidently in Africa's most complex financial environments. As part of the accelerator, IPT Africa will gain exposure to Visa's global network of fintech leaders, potential partners, and investors, while showcasing Mauritian talent and innovation on an international platform. 'Being selected to form part of the Visa Accelerator Program is a global vote of confidence in our platform, people, and purpose,' added O Sullivan. 'We're ready to lead, connect, and unlock Africa's financial potential starting right here from Mauritius.' Connect. Collect. Pay. — Learn more at About the Visa Accelerator Program: Now in its fourth year, the Visa Accelerator Program has supported over 60 high-impact startups across 25+ countries, driving inclusive innovation across embedded finance, digital payments, SME enablement, and financial infrastructure. Learn more at
Korea Herald
05-08-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
AI fintech startup BankX joins Silicon Valley's Plug and Play accelerator to expand AI retail platform
South Korean fintech startup BankX said Tuesday that it has been selected to join the official program at Plug and Play Tech Center, one of Silicon Valley's most influential startup accelerators. Known for nurturing global unicorns such as Google, PayPal, Dropbox and N26, Plug and Play offers early-stage startups high-level exposure to investors and corporate partners worldwide. BankX was also recently selected for the Global Market Expansion Program organized by Korea's Ministry of SMEs and Startups. By joining Plug and Play, BankX has entered the official Playbook, a global directory shared with major investors and partners. BankX's core product, PlayPlanet, is a location-based artificial intelligence platform that helps users compare real-time promotions and credit card benefits at offline stores. The app recommends the most advantageous payment method using AI, while also supporting merchants with real-time marketing tools and customer insights. Currently, BankX is conducting proof-of-concept testing with US retailers and plans to expand through partnerships with retail point-of-sale system providers, which manage payment processing at checkout counters. The company aims to build an AI-driven retail marketing ecosystem that connects consumers, merchants and local economies. "We are seeing positive responses from our PoC tests in the US," said BankX CEO Ethan Kim. "We will refine our technology to fit the local market and use this momentum to reshape consumer behavior and retail structures.'
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Plug and Play Launches Taiwan Office and Opens Applications for Inaugural Accelerator
TAOYUAN, June 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Plug and Play, the world's largest innovation platform, has officially opened its first office in Taoyuan City. This expansion marks a major milestone in the company's mission to connect startups with global corporations, investors, and innovation hubs across Asia and beyond. "We're proud to welcome Plug and Play to Taoyuan City," said Cheng Chang, Director, Economic Development Department of Taoyuan City Government. "This collaboration reflects our commitment to becoming a global hub for innovation and advanced technology. We look forward to supporting local and international startups as they grow and thrive here." To build on the momentum of its recent launch, Plug and Play Taiwan is now opening applications for Batch 1. The program, focused on startups innovating in artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, IoT, and deeptech, aims to accelerate early- and growth-stage companies with disruptive technologies and global potential. Plug and Play Taiwan Batch 0, which served as a pilot, successfully brought together startups who had the opportunity to present at Plug and Play's Silicon Valley June Summit 2025. The experience showcased the strength of Taiwan's startup ecosystem and its global relevance. "Taiwan is rapidly gaining recognition as a global innovation hotspot," said Johannes Rott, VP, Plug and Play. "With our new office and accelerator program, we're excited to support the next generation of game-changing startups from this region." Startups selected for Batch 1 will receive: Tailored mentorship from industry experts and successful founders Matchmaking with Plug and Play's network of over 550 global partners Fundraising support and direct VC introductions Exposure at global summits, including in Silicon Valley Soft-landing and go-to-market support across Asia and the U.S. The deadline for startup applications is July 7, 2025, with the program projected to launch in August 2025. Startups interested in joining the program can apply here: About Plug and Play Plug and Play is the leading innovation platform, connecting startups, corporations, venture capital firms, universities, and government agencies. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we're present in 60+ locations across five continents. We offer corporate innovation programs, run startup acceleration programs, and have invested in hundreds of successful companies, including Dropbox, Guardant Health, Honey, Lending Club, N26, PayPal, and Rappi. For more information, visit Media Contact press@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Plug and Play APAC Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Techday NZ
12-06-2025
- Business
- Techday NZ
NTT DATA named advisory partner for Plug & Play AI hubs
NTT DATA has become the exclusive integration and advisory partner for Plug and Play's Artificial Intelligence Centers of Excellence across several North American innovation hubs. This partnership positions NTT DATA to provide strategic guidance and support for startups and corporates throughout Plug and Play's US innovation network, with a focus on AI strategy and implementation. The agreement extends to Plug and Play hubs located in San Jose, Seattle, Sunnyvale, McKinney, and Calgary. Advisory role As the sole advisory and integration partner, NTT DATA will deliver a range of support services, including office hours, a virtual sandbox environment, innovation events, and advisory on generative AI. The intention is to help Plug and Play participants test, deploy, and commercialise AI solutions, with the possibility of integrating these technologies into NTT DATA's own partner and client ecosystem. This collaboration formalises a relationship originally established in 2022 when NTT DATA joined Plug and Play's Enterprise & AI programme. The formalisation now sees NTT DATA taking a strategic role across all Plug and Play AI Centres of Excellence, marking an expansion of their cooperation. Plug and Play connects global corporations and startups, serving as an accelerator for emerging tech across multiple sectors. Two AI Centres of Excellence operate in San Jose, California and Seattle, Washington, while Enterprise & AI hubs exist in Sunnyvale, McKinney, and Calgary. These hubs serve as focal points for AI development and evaluation. Engagement and services NTT DATA's involvement will include regular advisory office hours at the AI hubs, where company experts will work directly with startups and corporates to discuss AI strategy, integration challenges, and best practices. The agreement also provides for a virtual sandbox environment at each AI Centre of Excellence. This will offer a secure testing ground for startups and established companies to evaluate technologies, undertake proof-of-concept projects, and explore commercial opportunities. Additionally, innovation events facilitated by NTT DATA will enable the sharing of AI best practices and provide platforms such as panel sessions, keynote addresses, and startup pitch presentations. "As AI evolves from predictive to generative to agentic capabilities, large-scale enterprise-wide deployments require combining the power and innovation of startups and next-gen partners with rapid prototyping and evaluation of new solutions," said Marv Mouchawar, Executive Vice President, Global Innovation, NTT DATA Group Corporation. "As the Advisory and Integration Partner for Plug and Play's AI Centers of Excellence, we are uniquely positioned to tap into emerging technologies of startups and next-gen partners to bring immediate value to our clients through practical AI implementation strategies." The partnership is intended to facilitate adoption, evaluation, and the acceleration of AI deployment across industry verticals. The advisory services offered are aimed at guiding enterprises as they look to integrate new AI technologies for growth and innovation. Plug and Play perspective "We're excited to work with NTT DATA as they help us expand our AI Centers of Excellence," said Saeed Amidi, Founder and CEO, Plug and Play. "Our platform connects startups with enterprises to drive innovation, and NTT DATA's extensive expertise in AI and digital transformation will help our ecosystem grow." Plug and Play operates as an interface between startups and corporates, providing corporate innovation programmes, acceleration opportunities, and access to new technologies across over 60 global locations. Key partnership components Among the core elements of the partnership are: Advisory services: Offered to enterprises focusing on AI integration and identifying opportunities for growth and innovation. Offered to enterprises focusing on AI integration and identifying opportunities for growth and innovation. Office hours: Regular expert sessions at AI Centres to address technical and strategic questions from startups and corporate partners. Regular expert sessions at AI Centres to address technical and strategic questions from startups and corporate partners. Virtual sandbox environment: Safe spaces for testing and demonstrating AI solutions before commercial engagement. Safe spaces for testing and demonstrating AI solutions before commercial engagement. Innovation events: Platforms for collaboration among AI thought leaders, with formats that include keynotes, panel discussions, pitches, and hackathons. The collaboration is expected to support Plug and Play participants by accelerating the evaluation and adoption of AI technologies and fostering commercial opportunities for new and existing technology providers in the AI sector.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Plug and Play Celebrates Successful Completion of Second Inclusive Fintech Accelerator
SUNNYVALE, Calif., June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Plug and Play, a global innovation platform that accelerates over 2,500 startups annually, has announced the successful conclusion of Cohort 2 of the Inclusive Fintech Accelerator, a program designed to support diverse founders building innovative financial technology solutions that promote an inclusive financial sector. Cohort 2 began in January 2025 and accepted 13 startups from regions across the United States (California, Chicago, Florida, New York and Oklahoma) and Canada (Ontario). The program has engaged in curated mentorship from payments and fintech experts, hands-on workshops, and tailored business development support. "We're proud to support this extraordinary group of founders who are tackling some of the most pressing challenges in financial access and inclusion," said Dominique Reese, Director of Social Impact at Plug and Play. "These startups are not only redefining fintech, but they're also reshaping the financial futures of the communities they serve." The accelerator culminated in a high-impact in-person Expo during the Silicon Valley Summit on June 11, 2025. The session was attended by investors, corporations, and fintech leaders from across the ecosystem. The cohort represented a diverse cross-section of fintech focus areas, including money movement, consumer banking and lending, buy now, pay later, the CFO suite, embedded finance, and more. Throughout the program, Plug and Play facilitated over 300 valuable introductions between startups and major financial institutions, corporations, and investors, laying the groundwork for future investments and commercial partnerships. Congratulations to the 13 startups from Cohort 2 for completing the program: Arro – Arro is a credit card and AI-powered financial health platform that gamifies credit through goalsetting, financial literacy, and AI-coaching for members and institutions. Partnerspace – PartnerSpace is an AI-powered platform designed to help companies secure high-value partnerships 10x faster. Foode – Foode is a mobile-first platform that transforms every dining experience into an opportunity. Lifehub (Electus) – Lifehub is the first Learn-to-Earn Super App that fuses financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and career/work readiness education with income-earning opportunities and banking-style tools. Lipaworld – Lipaworld has created a solution that helps the global African diaspora to earn, spend, and send using a digital voucher marketplace and our P2P Stablecoin wallet. Luci – Luci is an AI-powered automated CFO solution that guides small business owners to success. Muse – Muse is a B2B API-based platform that leverages AI to offer tax and financial insights to payroll companies, banks, and credit agencies. OKY – OKY develops innovative technologies to help immigrants improve their lives by connecting families as they send value cross-border back home easily Plata – Plata is the financial platform modernizing payroll management and cross-border remittances for Latinos in the US and LATAM through employer partnerships. Squadtrip – Squadtrip is an all-in-one SaaS platform that simplifies group travel planning by allowing organizers to create trips, collect payments, and manage bookings seamlessly Uglycash – Uglycash is a banking and remittances platform for Latinx & their families across the Americas. Uplinq – Uplinq leverages 10,000+ unique data sources, and AI insights from over $1.4 Trillion lent, to deliver credit decision support for small business lenders worldwide. Following the success of Cohort 1, which saw one startup secure a commercial deal within six months, six companies integrate enterprise financial literacy assets, and over $4 million in funding raised, Cohort 2 is already showing strong early traction and is on track to achieve similar impactful results. To learn more about the program, visit About Plug and PlayPlug and Play is the leading innovation platform, connecting startups, corporations, venture capital firms, universities, and government agencies. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we're present in 60+ locations across five continents. We offer corporate innovation programs and help our corporate partners in every stage of their innovation journey, from education to execution. We also organize startup acceleration programs and have built an in-house VC to drive innovation across multiple industries where we've invested in hundreds of successful companies including Dropbox, Guardant Health, Honey, Lending Club, N26, PayPal, and Rappi. For more information, visit Plug and Play Media ContactJacky TsangSenior Communications & PR Associatepress@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Plug and Play Sign in to access your portfolio
