AWS Startups joins Visa Everywhere Initiative (VEI) for global fintech competition at TechCrunch Disrupt

Top fintech startups flew from around the world to meet at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in San Francisco, California (USA) on October 28th, 2024, where an inspiring competition piqued audience intrigue.  

Since its creation in 2015, The The Visa Everywhere Initiative (VEI) has become an invaluable resource for fintech startups to find growth opportunities and collaborative community in their journey to reach customers. Amazon Web Services (AWS) was thrilled to partner with VEI to craft this pitch competition and showcase top global startups that have created pioneering fintech solutions.

With AWS VP and Global Head of Startups Jon Jones helping judge the competition, VEI rounded up five fintech startups to complete for the chance at an $100,000 USD grand prize and $25,000 USD worth of free AWS Activate credits, which can be used on eligible AWS services.

The Competition

For the participating startup founders , the task at hand was simple: pitch their startups with a slideshow presentation in four minutes or less to a group of industry heavyweight judges, such as Jon Jones , Visa Head of Fintech Rodrigo Barros de Paula, LocLearn School founder Talia Zur Baruch, HSBC Investor Coverage & Business Development VP Bianca Caban, Procurement Manager Hassan Raza Kazmi, and So-Lo Funds co-founder (and former VEI winner) Rodney Williams.

Meet the Competitors:

Rashid Haddadin, Co-Founder of GamerG – A skill-based gaming platform featuring tournament matching, social community, and incredible prize opportunities.

Jorgen Fredman, CEO & Co-Founder of Waya – A complete and automated invoice management solution for companies.

Jaime Roldan, CEO & Founder of Quqo – A suite of digital products and services that streamline operations for retailers, distributors, and suppliers.

Helo Passos, Founder of Trexx – A platform for gamers to connect with opportunities and financial collateral within the NFT gaming industry.

Jake Vacovec, Co-Founder of Flycode – An intelligent churn auditing platform that helps companies recover failed subscription payments.

The competitors were judged on the following:

• Solution and pitch presentation
• Value added for Visa & partnership opportunity with Visa
  
• Desirability and uniqueness of idea
  
• Feasibility of the product/solution

After each pitch, founders had to be prepared to respond to quick-fire questions from the judges, hoping that their combined efforts allowed them a shot at the grand prize that would help them expand their winning idea.

As the judges eventually headed backstage to commune about who would be crowned the winner, Jen Welter, the first female NFL coach and motivational speaker, gave an inspiring keynote set around breaking barriers. With the spirit of a truly passionate trailblazer, she was a force to reckon with as her energy rooted into every audience member and excited founder waiting backstage.

The Visa Everywhere Initiative 2024 Winners:

Jake Vacovec, co-founder of Flycode, took home the $100,000 USD grand prize after showcasing a phenomenal pitch. The $25,000 USD in AWS Activate credits he was awarded will allow him to join the community and continue to build great things.

AWS Activate is a startup-focused program run by AWS, with a goal of providing technical support, business mentorship, and funding solutions to over 280,000 startups and counting. AWS Activate credits can be used with various AWS services, including third-party foundation models on Amazon Bedrock.

Attendees also had the opportunity to vote for an Audience Favorite, which went to Rashid Haddadin, co-founder of GamerG. He proudly took home a $20,000 USD prize for his win, and he and the other four finalists were also awarded $10,000 USD in AWS Activate credits.

The Courage to Create

Every founder shared their remarkable life’s work with the audience, and buzzing from audience members confirmed that each one was a winner in their own right. As the event came to a close, the spirit of innovation and bold ideas continued to resonate, igniting a path for the next wave of fintech pioneers.

With Visa’s unwavering commitment to nurturing fintech changemakers, and customer-first tools like AWS Activate made specifically for startup innovation, it’s clear that today’s ideas will continue to evolve into tomorrow’s solutions—as long as dreamers have the courage to create.

Discover More with AWS Activate

Ready to trailblaze the next best idea? Learn more about the many ways that AWS Activate is bringing innovative startup ideas—like yours—to life.