Latest news with #StartPath
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UbiRider Selected for Mastercard Start Path Program to Help Shape the Future of Financial Mobility
Portuguese fintech joins global cohort of innovators driving next-generation payment and transit experiences PORTO, Portugal, April 22, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--UbiRider, the innovator behind the UbiRider Platform, offers the only all-in-one solution that seamlessly integrates transportation management, payment processing, and data analytics into a unified system, today announced it has been selected to join Mastercard's prestigious Start Path Emerging Fintech program. UbiRider is one of only eight startups worldwide chosen for this cohort, which includes innovative companies from across the payments, mobility, and digital commerce sectors. Start Path is Mastercard's award-winning startup engagement program that supports high-potential fintechs with access to Mastercard's technology, network, and global ecosystem. Since its launch, the program has included more than 450 companies from over 60 countries, many of which have reached unicorn status or formed extended commercial engagements with Mastercard. UbiRider joins other forward-thinking startups—LetMePark, Asistobe, it's electric, Krowd, Bluespine, ipaymy, and Dataiera—in a dedicated program designed to help emerging fintechs accelerate growth, scale innovation, and transform financial experiences. "Being selected for the Start Path program is a tremendous milestone for UbiRider," said Paulo Santos, CEO of UbiRider. "Participating in this program supports our mission to make public transportation easier to access and pay for—especially in smaller cities and rural areas. Mastercard's global reach, infrastructure, and commercial expertise has the potential to help us scale faster, reach more transit agencies, and bring seamless mobility experiences to more people, everywhere." By joining the Start Path Emerging Fintech program, UbiRider will gain tailored mentorship, access to Mastercard's product teams, and opportunities for strategic collaboration with Mastercard customers and partners around the world. UbiRider's platform unifies fare collection, mobile ticketing, account-based payments, and real-time transit data into a flexible, all-in-one solution. Already active in locations like the Azores Islands and Cascais, Portugal, UbiRider is driving the next generation of contactless transit experiences. To learn more about Mastercard's Start Path program, visit For more information about UbiRider and its award-winning solutions, visit About UbiRider UbiRider was founded with the mission to transform the utilization and management of transportation operations to be simple, elegant and more accessible. The UbiRider Platform is the most complete mobility-as-a-service platform that includes mobile and web components that serve the interests and needs of travelers, commuters and mobility operators. PICK is a mobility-as-a-service app which helps travelers determine the best option for every journey, combining traditional and modern modes of transportation from buses and ferries to carsharing and micro-mobility. UbiRider is based in Porto, Portugal and is funded by Techtree Investments, an investment vehicle from CTT and managed by Iberis Capital and Cedrus R&D III, an investment vehicle managed by Cedrus Capital, Grupo Barraqueiro as well as angel investors. UbiRider is a strategic partner of Mastercard, Deloitte, PayShop and For more information, visit View source version on Contacts Media Contact UbiRiderAngela Costa
Business Wire
22-04-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
UbiRider Selected for Mastercard Start Path Program to Help Shape the Future of Financial Mobility
PORTO, Portugal--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- UbiRider, the innovator behind the UbiRider Platform, offers the only all-in-one solution that seamlessly integrates transportation management, payment processing, and data analytics into a unified system, today announced it has been selected to join Mastercard's prestigious Start Path Emerging Fintech program. UbiRider is one of only eight startups worldwide chosen for this cohort, which includes innovative companies from across the payments, mobility, and digital commerce sectors. "Participating in this program supports our mission to make public transportation easier to access and pay for—especially in smaller cities and rural areas." Share Start Path is Mastercard's award-winning startup engagement program that supports high-potential fintechs with access to Mastercard's technology, network, and global ecosystem. Since its launch, the program has included more than 450 companies from over 60 countries, many of which have reached unicorn status or formed extended commercial engagements with Mastercard. UbiRider joins other forward-thinking startups—LetMePark, Asistobe, it's electric, Krowd, Bluespine, ipaymy, and Dataiera—in a dedicated program designed to help emerging fintechs accelerate growth, scale innovation, and transform financial experiences. "Being selected for the Start Path program is a tremendous milestone for UbiRider," said Paulo Santos, CEO of UbiRider. "Participating in this program supports our mission to make public transportation easier to access and pay for—especially in smaller cities and rural areas. Mastercard's global reach, infrastructure, and commercial expertise has the potential to help us scale faster, reach more transit agencies, and bring seamless mobility experiences to more people, everywhere." By joining the Start Path Emerging Fintech program, UbiRider will gain tailored mentorship, access to Mastercard's product teams, and opportunities for strategic collaboration with Mastercard customers and partners around the world. UbiRider's platform unifies fare collection, mobile ticketing, account-based payments, and real-time transit data into a flexible, all-in-one solution. Already active in locations like the Azores Islands and Cascais, Portugal, UbiRider is driving the next generation of contactless transit experiences. To learn more about Mastercard's Start Path program, visit For more information about UbiRider and its award-winning solutions, visit About UbiRider UbiRider was founded with the mission to transform the utilization and management of transportation operations to be simple, elegant and more accessible. The UbiRider Platform is the most complete mobility-as-a-service platform that includes mobile and web components that serve the interests and needs of travelers, commuters and mobility operators. PICK is a mobility-as-a-service app which helps travelers determine the best option for every journey, combining traditional and modern modes of transportation from buses and ferries to carsharing and micro-mobility. UbiRider is based in Porto, Portugal and is funded by Techtree Investments, an investment vehicle from CTT and managed by Iberis Capital and Cedrus R&D III, an investment vehicle managed by Cedrus Capital, Grupo Barraqueiro as well as angel investors. UbiRider is a strategic partner of Mastercard, Deloitte, PayShop and For more information, visit
Associated Press
08-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Mastercard: Financial Freedom 101: This Bootcamp Taught Students To Take Control of Their Finances
Tanya Van Court was about to learn a lesson that would change her life. In 2001, after earning her master's in industrial engineering from Stanford University, Van Court was vice president at a broadband internet provider in Silicon Valley. In her time at the company, she had watched as the value of her stock options soared to $1 million. Then the tech bubble burst. Her holdings lost 98% of their market price in one day. 'I thought, 'Tanya, that was a fatal mistake,'' she recalls. 'But I didn't know if there was anything I could have done differently, because I hadn't been taught the basics of personal finance.' What she did know was that she never wanted this to happen again, not to her or anyone else. That's what inspired Van Court to create Goalsetter, a family finance app that puts education first. Goalsetter, a veteran of Mastercard's Start Path startup engagement program, allows parents to schedule allowance payments, which kids can save, invest or spend via a Mastercard debit card. The app also offers interactive content — such as videos, memes and games — designed to make learning about money fun. Yet in recent years, Van Court has grown concerned about another group: college students, standing on the precipice of careers, salaries and adult responsibilities. And as a Black woman, Van Court was particularly worried about Black graduates, who must navigate systemic economic barriers (for every $100 of wealth held by white families, black families have only $15) while also disproportionately saddled with student loan debt — four years after graduation, Black students owe an average of 188% more than white students. At Mastercard, Dawn Boudwin, a director on the Community and Belonging team, was thinking about the same challenges, but from the opposite direction — she knew some of Mastercard's customers wanted to boost financial literacy among college students to put them on the path to financial health but struggled to find the right approach. So she reached out to Van Court to create the Financial Freedom Project, a virtual money management boot camp for college students. Because of Mastercard's strong relationships with Atlanta-area Historically Black Colleges and Universities, they chose Spelman and Morehouse Colleges and Clark Atlanta University for the pilot. In a series of online classes, Van Court and her team taught 88 students how take control of their finances and achieve their long-term goals. 'Wherever you get your degree, you should leave school prepared for real life, and basic financial education can help set everyone up for success,' Boudwin says. 'We heard anecdotally on campuses, 'We don't even know where to find this type of information.' There was an appetite for it, and it wasn't being met.' The uphill journey to financial literacy Today, students using Goalsetter's educational platform achieve, on average, an 83% mastery of financial concepts. 'By the time these kids are out of their parents' houses, they are truly ready for the world,' she says. But how ready is the typical college student? To find out, last year Goalsetter administered a 12th-grade-level financial quiz to students at Stanford, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, Spelman, Morehouse and Clark Atlanta University. At each school, the average score hovered around 50%. 'We must find ways to deliver financial education to these kids on their own time. The more Americans we can put on solid financial footing, the stronger our communities will be.' Tanya Van Court The results reminded Van Court of her own hard road to financial literacy. 'They're getting prestigious degrees, but if you don't come out of college knowing exactly what to do with your first paycheck, you're already behind,' she says. 'The right instruction can give students at these institutions a shot at developing generational wealth. You can't live the dream if you don't speak the language.' Changing the game Fortunately, higher education has been shown to bolster financial resilience for graduates: About 30% of students at HBCUs move up at least two income quintiles from their parents by age 30 — nearly double that of students at other colleges and universities. Van Court wondered whether additional financial education could multiply that impact. And, if so, which behavioral nudges would motivate them most? Thus, the bootcamp was born. Using content adapted from the Goalsetter curriculum, Van Court and her team led the students through ten Zoom workshops, devoting each half-hour session to a different core concept, such as investing, debt management and retirement planning. They also offered on-demand access to recordings of the classes on their website. By the end of the bootcamp, the participants had improved their financial literacy scores by an average of 29.4%. Their confidence improved in step: 73% reported feeling comfortable making investments through an app, compared to 32% before the course began. The results also showed a similar positive shift in confidence around choosing a savings product — 49% pre-survey compared to 85% post-survey. These findings can help Mastercard's customers inform and evolve their financial literacy programs and enable the integration of Goalsetter and its white-label app, Boudwin says, as well as strengthen the company's own on-campus financial literacy efforts through its Master Your Card initiative. 'We can really tailor how we're showing up to make sure we're giving students the information they really need, to have the greatest impact on their financial management behaviors.' Now Van Court wants schools around the country to draw inspiration from these results to prevent financial literacy from getting lost in the shuffle of lab reports and term papers. 'We must find ways to deliver financial education to these kids on their own time,' she says. 'The more Americans we can put on solid financial footing, the stronger our communities will be.'
Associated Press
11-02-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Mastercard: The Game Is Afoot! How Gamification Is Helping Improve Financial Health in Latin America
Mastercard Creating and sticking with good habits isn't easy. It takes time and repetition and requires the kind of discipline that, for many of us, is hard to access. That's where gamification comes in. The idea behind this strategy is that by introducing the elements of a game — competition, rewards and fun — you can motivate people to make better choices again and again until they become habits. Tech companies are using it to build tools that, for example, help kids with diabetes more efficiently manage their blood sugar by monitoring a baby dragon's blood sugar. Financial institutions can harness this same technology to advance inclusion. As banks look for ways to build trust and encourage people to use digital tools that can help them better manage their finances, gamification is proving to be a powerful option, especially in Latin America, where account ownership and financial digitalization is growing faster than in other regions. Gamification can help those new users improve their financial health and become long-term customers of banks. Studies have shown that gamification can help people financially stay on track with things like bill and loan payments, which means better credit, more financial stability and a strengthened relationship with their bank. 'Moving people from access to usage of financial tools can go a long way toward building a more financially inclusive world, but getting people to usage is still a challenge,' says Natasha Jamal, vice president of social impact for Mastercard Strive, a global program that helps small businesses around the world to thrive in the digital economy. Making financial services fun 'Part of the challenge is that in some cultures, simply talking about money can be taboo,' says Pedro Moura, co-founder of Flourish Fi, a California-based fintech that combines gamification with behavioral science to increase customer loyalty and engagement with financial institutions across the Americas. That means consumers are missing the knowledge they need to embrace healthy financial habits, and banks have an opportunity to help with that financial education. When money isn't discussed, good money management can feel out of reach. 'This can be as simple as paying their bills on time, building a little bit of a rainy-day fund or making smarter decisions in their financial lives,' says Moura, who was the first in his family to access financial services in the U.S. after they emigrated Brazil. 'We're turning that interaction from transactional into a fun element.' Flourish Fi, a veteran of Mastercard's Start Path startup engagement program, aims to help banks better connect with people who are new to the banking system. Moura says the key is mixing personalized nudges with data intelligence and incentives to drive behavior. Flourish Fi uses APIs — the application programming interfaces that help software systems talk to each other — to connect with financial institution partners' apps or websites to give consumers opportunities to play games that help them improve their financial health. When customers log in to their account, paying bills on time might trigger a wheel of prizes for them to spin. Or they may choose settings that automatically make micro-deposits based on a beloved sports team's wins. In partnership with a number of banks, Flourish Fi rolled out its product in Brazil and across Latin America for individuals in 2018. After using Flourish Fi, consumers increased their deposit values by 32% and their online bill payments by 26%, and they doubled their usage of partner banking apps. Banks and credit unions also benefit from the technology because it helps them strengthen customer relationships and build trust with people who might otherwise transact offline. Brazil's Banco Carrefour and Bolivia's BancoSol have found that customers log in to their app or website twice as much as they did before Flourish Fi was added, Moura says. Customers who previously saved nothing over six to eight months now save some $600 over the same period. Incentives on Flourish Fi, such as the ability to spend points earned from quiz-taking or on-time loan payments on prizes, also mean that banks' repayment levels are rising. Bringing gamification to small businesses Most recently, Flourish Fi forged a partnership with Mastercard Strive to expand its service to yet another group in need: micro-entrepreneurs. These small-business owners often struggle to use digital financial services to help them meet their business goals. In Brazil, 77% of micro-entrepreneurs have never taken a course or training in finance, according to Brazilian micro- and small-business support service Sebrae. At the same time, one in three don't check their bank account and have no record of money coming in and out of their business. Through gamification, Flourish Fi incentivizes responsible financial business management practices like saving or investing money and paying loans and bills on time. For example, Flourish Fi helped inspire Brazilian corner store owner Maria Lourdes to digitize her business. 'What's top of mind for a small entrepreneur is they want to sell more and manage their time more effectively,' Moura says, 'and we support individuals with journeys of better understanding financial services.' Using Flourish Fi, Lourdes was incentivized by personalized rewards and micro-content on ways she can bolster her business by accepting digital payments and then paying her bills with the money she's bringing in. Micro-content on the app also taught her how to further tap into financial services to enhance her business's financial health. Flourish Fi now helps 375,000 people across five countries. But there are millions of individuals like Lourdes who still need support, Moura says. It's his hope that through continued partnerships with the private sector, Flourish Fi will foster many more individuals' and small businesses' resilience and growth by incentivizing them to make better use of digital financial services and build responsible money management habits. 'If you design a more inclusive financial system, you're unlocking the dreams of millions of individuals,' Moura says. 'People want to be the best version of themselves. They just need access, support and sometimes just a little bit of a reward to stick on their path.'
