Mastercard Start Path adds 7 new startups to its Acceptance program
April 3, 2025From harnessing contactless technology to power in-person payments, to simplifying rent and bill payments for tenants, these companies are building the future of acceptance with new and innovative payment experiences.
Today, Mastercard welcomes 7 new startups into Start Path, its award-winning startup engagement program: Neivor, Pacto, Payglocal, Proboutik, Rainforest, Skipify and Softpay.
This cohort joins Start Path’s global portfolio – which is comprised of more than 450 startups from over 60 countries – as part of its dedicated Acceptance program, launched in 2024 to support growth of the payment acceptance ecosystem. Each startup was carefully selected during a competitive, global application and vetting process for its unique approach to driving digital transformation, redefining seamless payments and revolutionizing how businesses and consumers transact. These companies will have the opportunity to work with Mastercard to power acceptance across underpenetrated verticals, emerging markets and new business models to continue to drive the secular shift from cash to digital.
Meet the startups:
Neivor is an integrated payment and financial ecosystem for housing.
"My passion for fintech was sparked by my experience in financial services and technology, where I saw firsthand how innovation could unlock new value for users,” says CEO and co-founder Caterine Castillo. “Through Neivor, we recognized a massive opportunity in housing — an industry deeply connected to financial services yet largely underserved in digital transformation. My vision for fintech’s future is a fully embedded ecosystem where payments, insurance and lending are effortlessly integrated into everyday experiences."
Pacto enables financial institutions to offer streamlined payments experiences and operations, while unlocking new revenue streams.
“We started Pacto to drive efficiency and revenue growth across small business using acquiring solutions,” says co-founder and CEO Rodrigo Kuri. “Pacto is a technological platform that transforms the payments acceptance ecosystem by strengthening financial institutions to offer value-added services, thereby empowering businesses to provide unique check out experiences to their end customer.”
Payglocal enables businesses to accept payments effortlessly with unparalleled success rates and zero hassles.
“The ability of fintech to transform the way money moves — making transactionsfaster, smarter and more inclusive — is what drew me to this space,” says Prachi Dharani, CEO and co-founder. “I believe the future of financial technology lies in building seamless, secure and intelligent solutions that empower businesses and individuals to transact with confidence, anywhere in the world."
Proboutik digitizes informal commerce by providing merchants with efficient financial and management solutions.
“My passion for fintech stems from the need to empower informal merchants with digital tools that enhance their businesses,” says CEO and co-founder Thierno Sakho. “Our vision is to revolutionize the informal commerce sector by making financial and management solutions more accessible and efficient."
Rainforest helps vertical software platforms grow revenue by embedding payments into their products without taking on risk or compliance headaches.
"What inspired me to get into payments is their ubiquity — every business needs to get paid — combined with the massive opportunity to improve upon the status quo across every dimension: technology, support, risk management, pricing and contract terms,” says founder and CEO Joshua Silver. “My vision for the future of financial technology is that it's widely available, transparent and accurate. Payments are critical to every business, and no one should have to suffer with punitive contract terms, opaque pricing or not knowing when they'll get their money."
Skipify is reimagining the checkout experience with identity-powered payments, helping merchants significantly boost authorization and conversion rates while reducing checkout abandonment.
"What excites me most about fintech is the opportunity to help shape the future of commerce. The way people shop today is not the same way they will be shopping five or ten years from now, and payment technology plays a huge role in that evolution,” says founder and CEO Ryth Martin. “At Skipify, we envision a future where financial technology empowers businesses with real-time, intelligent, identity-powered payment solutions, and programs like Mastercard Start Path accelerate our ability to drive that innovation at scale.”
Softpay developed an innovative SoftPOS solution that enables fast, contactless payments on smartphones, tablets and enterprise devices, serving merchants of all sizes around the world.
“I’ve always been driven by the idea of using technology to simplify everyday transactions, which led me to fintech,” says CEO Ivan Sandqvist, who co-founded Softpay with Jacob Aisen. “My vision for the future of financial technology aligns with Softpay’s mission — to simplify payment acceptance for businesses and promote a sustainable future by making contactless payments more accessible and efficient, turning any Android or iOS device into a secure payment terminal.”
Growing the value of digital payments and transactions
Mastercard is dedicated to making it as easy for businesses to accept digital payments as it is for consumers to make them. With more than 150 million merchant locations accepting Mastercard cards worldwide, the company is working with its growing ecosystem of partners to create seamless, secure and convenient experiences at scale and across all forms of payments. This includes driving in-store and online transactions, with the growth and evolution of contactless payments and introducing new technologies like Click to Pay and payment passkeys.
About Start Path
The Start Path portfolio includes more than 450 companies from over 60 countries, many of which are entering public markets, reaching unicorn status and exploring extended commercial engagements with Mastercard and its customers.
About Mastercard
Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we’re building a resilient economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential.
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