Visa has announced the finalists for its 'The Everywhere Initiative', a challenge that aims to use Visa APIs to develop new payment ideas and solve business challenges.

Four of the nine finalists are Kiwis, with three finalists in a single category. Rush Digital, Thought-Wired, Cura and Jude are the four lucky finalists, who will be pitching their ideas alongside their Australian rivals to a judging panel on September 22.

“We are thrilled to see New Zealand strongly represented in the finalist line up for The Everywhere Initiative, and the potential to work and co-create with local fintech talent. We wish them all the very best at the pitch event in Sydney next week and hope to see the Kiwis prevail in Australia,” comments Visa Country Manager, New Zealand - South Pacific, Marty Kerr.

Finalists are below.

The Everyone, Everywhere challenge

These finalists are pitching solutions that help expand access to electronic payments to everyone, everywhere.

• Cura (New Zealand): Cura is an app that helps people find and book trusted independent and agency carers.
• Thought Wired (New Zealand): Thought-Wired makes nous, a thought-controlled communication solution for people who cannot move or talk because of profound disabilities.
• Rush Digital (New Zealand): Rush Digital creates experiences that transcend virtual technology into the real world.

The Everywhere API Challenge for Consumers

These finalists are pitching ideas that use Visa APIs to enhance the commerce experience for consumers.

• Jude (New Zealand): Jude is a bot to help consumers manage their money and pay bills on time.
• Rain Check (Australia): RainCheck is a shopping app that lets users save items they like when browsing online, and then reminds them of these favourites when they're shopping in-store with special offers and discounts.
• Persollo (Australia): Persollo is a one-step checkout solution for brands and retailers and allows sellers to easily add product to the platform, generate a payment link and share for easy payment.

The Everywhere API Challenge for Commercial

These finalists are pitching ideas that use Visa APIs to solve a problem businesses experience when they make payments.

• DragonBill (Australia): DragonBill is an end to end invoicing and payment solution for small businesses.
• SkyGrid (Australia): SkyGrid is an Internet of Things company that builds custom platforms for companies to monitor their assets remotely by using sensors for real time information.
• Proximiti (Australia): Proximiti Pulse is a location services and data analytics platform that adds real-world context to digital interactions.

Read more about Visa's Everywhere Initiative here.