London, 30 June, 2025 – Visa, the global leader in digital payments, in partnership with Reinvantage, is launching the first-ever She’s Next Hackathon for women in Eastern and Southeastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus. Organised under the global She’s Next Empowered by Visa initiative to support female entrepreneurs, the programme offers women across the region a chance to gain knowledge and mentorship from nearly 20 expert speakers, enhance the visibility of their business, and compete for a funding pool of 20,000 US dollars.
The She’s Next Hackathon is designed to champion bold thinking, real-world solutions, and inclusive innovation in business. Unlike traditional hackathons, it involves no coding, instead focusing on business strategy and problem-solving. Participants will tackle challenges related to financial sustainability, business pivots, market expansion, trend forecasting, and other relevant entrepreneurial topics.
The programme will run across several phases:
- June 30 – August 29: Registration of applicants
- September 3–12: Educational phase
- September 16: Participation confirmation and team matching phase
- September 18 –October 1: Hackathon phase
All activities will be conducted entirely online and in English.
The hackathon will culminate in a high-impact Grand Finale on October 3 – an open virtual gathering welcoming the entire She’s Next community and beyond. Successful entrepreneurs, business leaders, and Visa executives will come together to exchange knowledge and celebrate the power of women-led innovation. The event will feature pitches of business concepts developed during the hackathon, as well as keynote speeches, a business quiz and insightful discussions.
Throughout the programme, participants will have access to four webinars led by seasoned business professionals, offering practical knowledge. Teams advancing to the hackathon phase will receive personalised guidance through a minimum of three mentorship sessions with experienced founders, advisors, and innovation experts. All participants will also enjoy extensive opportunities to build international business connections and will be invited to join the She’s Next digital community platform, a vibrant network of like-minded female entrepreneurs from across the region.
Winners will be recognized in three award categories:
- Main Winner – 10,000 US dollars
- Most Innovative – 5,000 US dollars
- Best Social Impact– 5,000 US dollars
In addition to financial grants, winners will benefit from a three-month mentorship with industry leaders, extended visibility across Visa and Reinvantage platforms, visibility at future events, ongoing promotion within the She’s Next community, and mentions in an official press release distributed across media outlets throughout the region.
“As a long-standing supporter of female leadership and entrepreneurship, Visa believes in the power of women to drive inclusive economic growth,” said Cristina Doros, Visa Senior Vice President, Group Country Manager for Eastern and Southeastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus.
“With the She’s Next Empowered by Visa initiative successfully growing across our region for over five years, the She’s Next Hackathon represents a new milestone in our mission to empower women. We are proud to team up with Reinvantage on this initiative, building on our joint efforts that began with the 2022 regional survey on female entrepreneurship and led to the launch of the She’s Next digital community platform a year later.
“The She’s Next Hackathon is not just a competition—it is a launchpad for bold ideas and empowered leadership. I am excited to see how this program will elevate new entrepreneurial talents.”
Participation in the She’s Next Hackathon is open to female entrepreneurs at any stage of their journey – from those just starting out to established business owners. You may register as an individual or a team (up to five members). Mixed-gender teams are also welcome but must be women-led.
“Reinvention isn’t just a response to disruption and uncertainty—it’s a mindset that allows businesses to create solutions the future is already asking for. The She’s Next Hackathon is designed to nurture that mindset in a new generation of women entrepreneurs, equipping them not only with strategies, but with the confidence to lead with purpose, agility and vision. This is about more than entrepreneurship—it’s about shaping the future of inclusive, resilient business,” said Andrew Wrobel, Chief Reinvention Officer, Reinvantage.
To learn more about the participation rules and register for the She’s Next Hackathon, visit this page. Registration is open until August 29.
About Visa
Visa (NYSE:V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories each year. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement.
About Reinvantage
Reinvantage is a strategic reinvention firm that helps people and organisations anticipate change, stay relevant, and design what comes next. It combines tailored advisory with forward-looking insight to support reinvention at every level—from mindset to strategy. Reinvantage also runs Emerging Europe, a long-standing initiative focused on innovation and sustainable growth in the region. Through Emerging Europe, Reinvantage powers the She’s Next platform. This integrated model ensures that every programme, partnership, or initiative is grounded in real-world relevance and long-term impact.
