Visa in Partnership with Forbes Georgia Discussed Innovation Ecosystem in Georgia within Joint Business Campaign

A lot of positive things can be said about the diversity of startups in Georgia and the country’s growing ecosystem, but the number of platforms where one can access professional advice is rather few. One may then inquire as to where entrepreneurs can get the desired information about the necessary steps for personal business planning, obtaining grants, digitization, world trends, challenges, or where they can simply read about success stories in Georgia. The answer to this inquiry does not quite measure up. Perhaps this has become the source of inspiration for companies with high social responsibility, such as the world leader in digital payments Visa and the most influential business publication Forbes Georgia.

2021 ended with yet another successful project developed by these companies that have been cooperating for several years, during which a number of successful projects have been implemented. Among them was Visa’s global initiative to support women entrepreneurs in Georgia titled “She’s Next, Empowered By Visa”. The business project regarding the startup ecosystem, in the format of podcast series, presents yet another successful initiative.

Among the key areas of Visa’s strategy are: introducing and developing innovations, promoting small and medium-sized businesses by offering them a variety of projects, initiatives, innovative technologies or products, both globally and locally. In collaboration with Forbes Georgia, an open discussion platform was created in the format of podcast series, informing the audience about Georgia’s growing innovation potential, current trends in business and startup ecosystems, as well as modern business models for digital payments. For its part, Forbes Georgia consistently informs its audience about the latest trends and innovations in the world.

30-minute audio episodes are available on Forbes Georgia’s digital platforms: SoundCloud, Spotify, YouTube, as well as the official YouTube channel for Visa CISSEE.

Podcasts have been running for eight weeks every Monday since October 11, 2021. The main topic of discussion was Georgia’s innovation ecosystem. More specifically, along with small and medium-sized businesses, representatives of leading banks, industry experts, the Forbes Georgia team, Visa and its partners, topics that were discussed included: business growth opportunities in Georgia through new partnerships and innovative payment technologies, the Age of Fintech Technologies, Innovative Digital Banking Features, Investment Opportunities and Characteristics, Startup Support using acceleration program 500 Georgia as an example, the latest digital innovations and digital GEL development prospects, as well as entrepreneurship bringing social change.

The audio format of the interviews is quite convenient for people in business. It allows for multitasking, ensuring the efficient use of time.

For those who have not been able to follow the podcasts yet, Forbes Georgia compiled the following highlights from the episodes:

„There is always a great demand for innovative solutions in Georgia. Our main priority as a leader in digital payments is to provide maximum resources to the market to develop in this regard.“

Diana Kiguradze

Regional Manager for Caucasus Region, CISSEE, Visa

„The first challenge (for tech companies) is consumer safety and well-being. We live in a different world and we really want to focus more on that. The second challenge is economic pressure, economic security and the pace of recovery we are facing in today's world.“

Evgen Lisnyak

Senior Director, Head of Partnerships, Fintech & Ventures, CISSEE, Visa

„On our way towards expanding to new countries, Visa has opened many doors of opportunities in terms of product development and market access. Visa sub-acquirer agreements, which allow us to be payment facilitators for the acquirers, also allow us to operate under the Visa trademark.“

Kakha Gelashvili

Co-Chief Executive Officer at Georgian Fintech startup company PAYZE

„With the advent of new digital banks and fintech in general, a whole new class of business users has emerged for companies like Visa...The possibilities are endless, but the greatest opportunities lie ahead.“

Giorgi Kapanadze

Chief Products Officer for Space

„The precedent of SpinCar's acquiring PulsarAI became a tangible reality, whereby a company that was created in Georgia, having a lot in common with other Georgian startups, achieved such success. That's why it is so important that similar developments take place in one’s proximity so that one can realize what is possible.“

Dachi Choladze

CEO, Managing Partner and Founder of PulsarAI

„The main goal of Visa is to make payments accessible to any customer. Our vision is to activate the payment methods by any means through which our cardholder, or even a person without the card, will be able to pay.“

Olexander Stelmakh

Senior Director, Digital Solutions, CISSEE, Visa

„When we talk about startups, investments and such, knowledge-sharing platforms are easily accessible in English. It is very important that more people are interested in these issues in Georgia. The easiest way to achieve this is to make the knowledge available in Georgian.“

Levan Gomshiashvili

Head of Marketing, Bank of Georgia

„There is a high probability that in a few years central banks will start actively introducing digital money and it is important that we do not lag behind in this process. In addition, we believe that the existence of digital GEL is one of the most important cornerstones for the development of financial technologies in the country.“

Papuna Lezhava

Vice President of the National Bank of Georgia

„When My Nanny was created, its goal was to give an opportunity for timely and relevant assistance to people who cared for their children and strived for developing their careers at the same time.“

Nino Dvalidze

Founder of „My Nanny“

„Given that there is a lot of competition in the world fashion industry, it is crucial to stand out from the others. This distinction is reflected in the fact that the main value of the brand’s style and vision is sustainable development.“

Anano Dolaberidze

Co-founder of Phubber

Finally, it should be noted that sharing a series of podcasts with the audience is another step forward in raising awareness of the need for business development and innovation in the community. In addition to professional advice, the episodes have also proved to be inspiring, as the now-established and successful businesses can lead by example and help young entrepreneurs navigate. The collection of success stories was imbued with ambition for continuous development. One can be confident in saying that Georgia is a frontrunner in the development of the innovation culture, doubling the sense of pride by being Georgian and, at the same time, a world-class innovator.