If you’re reading this blog, you already know what PCI is. Chances are, you also have some inclination that it’s a pain in the you-know-what too. Just how severe that pain can be is something else altogether.

As little as five years ago it was rare to see venture investment filtering through Africa, with seven-figure seed investment rounds happening as infrequently as spotting a bat-eared fox on safari. Fast forward to 2021... Early-stage startups in the region are bagging multi-million dollar deals and pre-seed rounds are taking off, paving the way for the world's next household names.

So what’s changed, and why is fintech at the core of this shift?

CB Insights today named VGS to the third annual Fintech 250, a prestigious list of emerging private companies working on groundbreaking financial technology.

Peter Berg is the VP of business development and strategy for Very Good Security (VGS). Peter joined VGS from Visa, where he created and led Visa Ventures, their global venture investment arm responsible for investments in early-stage payment and technology companies including Stripe, Marqeta, Klarna, Chain and more.

Before leading Visa Ventures, Peter helped shape Visa’s product strategy in new and emerging payments, and lead Visa’s relationship with Square. Prior to Visa, Peter was a co-founder or early employee of several successful startups in financial services and technology; two were acquired and one remains privately held today.

Very Good Security (VGS) is excited to announce its participation as a launch partner for Visa’s expansion of their Fast Track program to the U.S. The program is part of Visa’s global strategy to open its network and to support a broad range of players that are developing new commerce experiences. The Fast Track program makes it easier for fintechs to partner with Visa and access its global payments network. The VGS team is pleased to work alongside Visa and our fellow launch partners to provide premier services for emerging fintechs.