Opportunities
Mastercard Strive EU Innovation Fund
€4.5 million in grants available
Seeking innovative B2B solutions specifically designed or tailored for European small businesses with fewer than 10 employees.
Eligibility
Project eligibility
Proposed projects must:
- Align with at least one of the four focus themes: embedded finance, cybersecurity, environmental sustainability, and AI.
- Target small businesses (with fewer than 10 employees) as customers or end users.
- Leverage digital and data-first solutions.
- Be implemented in at least one EU market.
- Be at least in the Product Definition stage and ready to demonstrate a more mature phase has been achieved by the end of the project.
- Must not focus on capacity building, such as training or mentorship.
Organizational eligibility
Applicants:
- Can be startups, established companies, nonprofits, or social enterprises of all sizes.
- Cannot be government entities or academic institutions.
- Must be registered and operating in at least one of the 27 EU member states.
- Can apply as a consortium with other organizations, provided that the main applicant is registered and operating in at least one of the 27 EU member states.
Due diligence requirements
Applicants must:
- Comply with EU and US sanctions, laws, and regulations, including data and privacy regulations.
- Be registered and operational, demonstrating at least 1 year of legal and ethical operations and commendable performance.
- Be compliant with all applicable laws, including adhering to fundamental human rights and all international and EU labor standards.
- Be fully compliant with business licensing, taxation, employee, and other regulations in all countries of operation.
- Be financially healthy with adequate reporting systems.
- Have no involvement in unethical activities such as arms production or tobacco.
- Comply with the terms and conditions of funding.