# Mastercard Start Path

> Mastercard Start Path is a VC fund backing FinTech and Financial Services. See 64 investments, check sizes, portfolio and contact details. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Dublin, Ireland
- Total investments: 64
- Last investment: May 2023
- Lead investor: 88%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- X (Twitter): http://twitter.com/mastartpath
- Website: https://startpath.mastercard.com

Mastercard Start Path is a global effort to support innovative early stage companies developing the next generation of commerce solutions today. Start Path was launched at the end of 2013 with an objective to help early stage startups succeed by leveraging a variety of options to work together. Startups can benefit from the knowledge of a globalnetwork of Mastercard experts, access to Mastercard customers and partners, and the ability to innovate on top of Mastercard solutions. For more information visit www.startpath.com or follow Mastercard Start Path on Twitter at @MAstartpath

## Contacts

5 contacts available for Mastercard Start Path. Shizune tracks 6 team members at Mastercard Start Path. Sign up free to unlock them: https://app.shizune.co/sign-up/investor-profiles/find-team-emails/mastercard-start-path?utm_source=investor_profile

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| FinTech | 25 | 39% |
| Financial Services | 17 | 27% |
| Software | 15 | 23% |
| Payments | 12 | 19% |
| E-Commerce | 11 | 17% |

99 industries tracked in total.

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Funding Round | 47 | 73% |
| Non-equity Assistance | 7 | 11% |
| Grant | 4 | 6% |
| Seed | 2 | 3% |
| Pre-Seed | 2 | 3% |

6 stages tracked in total.

### Country

| Country | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| United States | 27 | 42% |
| Ireland | 5 | 8% |
| Canada | 4 | 6% |
| Israel | 4 | 6% |
| United Kingdom | 4 | 6% |

17 countries tracked in total.

## Team

| Name | Title | Investments | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Azriel Chelst | VP, US Startup Engagement | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/azriel-chelst |
| Brigid McKeown | Programme Coordinator, Start Path | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/brigid-mckeown |
| Ian O'Sullivan | Product Leader, Start Path | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/ian-osullivan |
| Ilana Messing | Director, Start Path | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/ilana-messing |
| Mohit Chhatrapati | VP, Investments & Commercial Engagements | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/mohit-chhatrapati |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Neofin | Neofin is a Shopify for lending business. It is a low-code SaaS for lending automation that allows launching any lending business in as fast as 15 minutes, establishing the credit products in 1 hour, and issuing credits and earning the same day.Neofin's modulated platform enables a financial institution to create full-cycle loan applicationsand services such as PDL or BNPL directly from our easy-to-use Control Panel.Its modules include:- POS front-end/ BNPL widget - Loan Management system - Borrower area site builder - Debt collection - Digital onboarding and KYC - CRM/marketing - Decision engine/credit scoring | $10K | Grant | May 02, 2023 |  |
| RemOnline | RemOnline is a software company that offers web and mobile applications for the small and SME's. | $10K | Grant | May 02, 2023 |  |
| Zhabka | “Zhabka” is the first versatile payment service for individuals and businesses "Zhabka" allows you to pay, accept payments and transfer means via any social network or messenger. “Zhabka” is a free mobile application, which turns a smartphone into a POS-terminal. Using “Zhabka” entrepreneurs can receive payments and send receipts forpayment in any messenger. “Zhabka” also allows to transfer or request for a transfer of funds from card to card via Apple Pay and Google Pay, or enter the card number manually - in Viber, Telegram and other messengers. | $10K | Grant | May 02, 2023 |  |
| Electronic KYC | Electronic KYC provides identity verification and onboarding process for customers. | $10K | Grant | May 02, 2023 |  |
| Axelar Network | Axelar is a cross-chain communication tool developing interoperability software to connect blockchain ecosystems, applications, and users. Axelar Network consists of a protocol suite, tools, and APIs, designed to break down the barriers to cross-chain communication. Axelar enables developers to build on the best platform for their needs whileleveraging the Axelar stack to unlock cross-chain composability and liquidity.The company was founded by Sergey Gorbunov and Georgios Vlachos in 2020. |  | Non-equity Assistance | May 01, 2023 |  |
| Cheeze | A minting studio for photographers. |  | Non-equity Assistance | May 01, 2023 |  |
| Coala Pay | Coala Pay is a user-friendly architecture for managing last-mile grants. Donor money are protected against hazards associated with foreign exchange, extortionate banking fees, and delays by our built-in payments rail. |  | Non-equity Assistance | May 01, 2023 |  |
| RociFi | RociFi has developed a protocol that leverages on-chain data, machine learning and decentralized identity data to facilitate undercollateralized loans via the blockchain. Its scoring process will identify a borrower’s trustworthiness based on their digital identity and allow lenders to lend their money according to their credit risk scores. |  | Non-equity Assistance | Apr 28, 2023 |  |
| Qonbay.io | Qonbay is an integrated platform that offers a reward programme together with business solutions. Qonbay Provides sellers and creators with the tools they need to build web3-based customer loyalty programmes that improve scalability and make it easier to move between the real world and the virtual world. |  | Non-equity Assistance | Apr 28, 2023 |  |
| Based | Payment protocol for Web 3.0 |  | Non-equity Assistance | Apr 28, 2023 |  |

10 of 64 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [Techstars Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/bullet-time-ventures) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Upslope Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/galvanize) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [HOWZAT Partners](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/howzat-partners) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [JetBlue Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/jetblue-technology-ventures) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Plug and Play](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/plug-and-play-ventures) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Summit Partners](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/summit-partners) — VC Fund, 2 deals together

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## FAQ

### What does Mastercard Start Path invest in?

Mastercard Start Path invests primarily in FinTech, Financial Services and Software startups, most often at Funding Round and Non-equity Assistance stage. Most of the 64 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in United States. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### How do I contact Mastercard Start Path?

Public channels for Mastercard Start Path include X (Twitter) and the website linked on this profile. For a verified work email and phone number, create a free Shizune account — contact data is searched across 20+ sources and validated before delivery, so your outreach lands in the right inbox.

### Who are the partners at Mastercard Start Path?

The team at Mastercard Start Path includes Azriel Chelst (VP, US Startup Engagement), Brigid McKeown (Programme Coordinator, Start Path) and Ian O'Sullivan (Product Leader, Start Path), among 6 team members tracked by Shizune. The Team section lists each member with their title, investment count and links.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

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