Irish-founded Tribe Fintech joins Mastercard’s global accelerator

9 Jun 2023

Founded by former Enterprise Ireland executive Mo Harvey, Tribe Fintech has created a platform to connect SMEs and banks.

Mastercard has selected five fintech start-ups for its global Start Path accelerator programme, with one of these being the Irish-founded Tribe Fintech.

The company was founded last year by Mo Harvey, who was previously with Enterprise Ireland as head of financial services and fintech for the Asia-Pacific region. She also joined Inspirefest 2018 on the Thinking Global panel.

The company has created a platform to bring SMEs and banks together, offering features such as key customer metrics, integrated business tools and social features to help businesses form social networks. Tribe Fintech also says its platform can help banks attract, retain and engage SME customers.

The company has offices in Dublin and Singapore, along with remote hubs in Johannesburg and Hong Kong. The company now has an opportunity to scale up its platform in the Mastercard accelerator.

“We have global ambition so working with Mastercard will drive forward our mission to build an integrated global ecosystem for banks and SMEs,” Tribe Fintech  said.

The global programme will give Tribe Fintech access to a range of supports and mentorship services. This Start Path programme was launched in 2014 and has had 360 companies take part since then, including names like Revolut.

Over four weeks, the five chosen start-ups will get access to “curated programming” and a dedicated mentor to help find new opportunities, along with forums to pitch their products and ideas.

“Embracing digital transformation is no longer a luxury for small businesses – it’s a necessity in today’s digital age,” said Jane Prokop, executive VP for SMEs at Mastercard. “The newest cohort of start-ups joining Start Path are providing cutting-edge solutions, tools and services to help small business owners unlock their full potential in the digital world.”

In 2021, Irish B2B SaaS start-up Layer joined 10 other companies in the Mastercard accelerator. This company provides financial institutions with customisable digital platforms using open banking technology.

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Leigh Mc Gowran is a journalist with Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com