# Western Union Accelerator Powered by Techstars

> Western Union Accelerator Powered by Techstars is a VC fund backing FinTech. See 40 investments, check sizes, portfolio and contact details. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Denver, United States
- Total investments: 40
- Last investment: Mar 2022
- Lead investor: 70%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- Website: https://www.techstars.com/programs/western-union-program/

Western Union Accelerator Powered by Techstars is a VC fund in Denver focused on FinTech and Financial Services. The Western Union Accelerator, Powered by Techstars will help entrepreneurs create innovative solutions to some of the industry’s latest challenges including ML/AI, crypto and blockchain technologies, analytics and omni-channel platforms while leveraging the creative and agile thinking of some of the fintech industries brightest minds.

## Contacts

5 contacts available for Western Union Accelerator Powered by Techstars. Shizune tracks 1 team members at Western Union Accelerator Powered by Techstars. Sign up free to unlock them: https://app.shizune.co/sign-up/investor-profiles/find-team-emails/western-union-accelerator-powered-by-techstars?utm_source=investor_profile

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| FinTech | 20 | 50% |
| Financial Services | 18 | 45% |
| Finance | 9 | 23% |
| Software | 8 | 20% |
| Information Technology | 7 | 18% |

53 industries tracked in total.

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pre-Seed | 21 | 53% |
| Seed | 9 | 23% |
| Funding Round | 9 | 23% |

### Country

| Country | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| United States | 26 | 65% |
| Peru | 1 | 3% |
| Mexico | 1 | 3% |
| Nigeria | 1 | 3% |
| Colombia | 1 | 3% |

6 countries tracked in total.

## Team

| Name | Title | Investments | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Ethan Austin | Director for Los Angeles | 35 | — |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Fonbnk | Fonbnk Inc., at the forefront of fintech, uniquely combines mobile technology with Web3 innovation, transforming digital transactions in emerging markets. Beyond prepaid airtime, the company integrates various familiar mobile payment methods, broadening financial accessibility.Fonbnk stands out by enabling frictionless, dollarized micropaymentsfor digital goods and services, a boon for global merchants targeting hard-to-reach markets. Access to stablecoins across all major blockchain protocols positions Fonbnk as a gateway to the global digital economy.The firm’s no-code and low-code dApps and APIs simplify Web3 integration for local developers, easing digital transactions for users. Leveraging over 8 billion prepaid SIM cards and diverse mobile payment systems, Fonbnk connects a vast network of users, retailers, and agents, making Web3 access a reality for anyone capable of mobile transactions. This approach not only drives digital finance growth but also significantly narrows the digital divide in emerging economies. | $3.5M | Seed | Mar 01, 2022 |  |
| The Beans | The Beans offers a software application platform that creates personalized cash flow plans designed for its users. The Beans is Simplifying the path to financial balance through design and technology so that people can focus on what they love. |  |  | Jul 19, 2021 |  |
| Zirtue | Zirtue, a relationship based mobile lending application that allows friends & family to easily lend & borrow money with each other on their terms by automating the payment process and taking the awkwardness out of the loan process. |  |  | Jul 19, 2021 |  |
| Swipe Credit | Swipe is the best-in-class revenue-accelerating risk and compliance solution that helps lenders grow faster and wiser with financial inclusion behavior intelligence. The platform speaks to your data to help you better understand the life of each customer, so you can make faster, more informed decisions and drive growth by reaching untapped marketsegments. |  |  | Jul 19, 2021 |  |
| Sunny Day Fund | Sunny Day Fund offers banking and emergency savings services. They help workers save for brighter days ahead and grow with resiliency. Their solutions include employer-funded emergency savings and a financial well-being diagnostic. An online inquiry form is available on their website. |  |  | Jul 19, 2021 |  |
| Linxe | Linxe's vision is to build a truly inclusive financial services platform, one that generates credit history and provides an entry point for unbanked individuals that are too commonly overlooked by large institutional banks in Colombia and Latin America more broadly. | $120K | Pre-Seed | Jul 19, 2021 |  |
| The Beans | The Beans offers a software application platform that creates personalized cash flow plans designed for its users. The Beans is Simplifying the path to financial balance through design and technology so that people can focus on what they love. |  | Seed | Jul 19, 2021 |  |
| Zirtue | Zirtue, a relationship based mobile lending application that allows friends & family to easily lend & borrow money with each other on their terms by automating the payment process and taking the awkwardness out of the loan process. |  | Seed | Jul 19, 2021 |  |
| Swipe Credit | Swipe is the best-in-class revenue-accelerating risk and compliance solution that helps lenders grow faster and wiser with financial inclusion behavior intelligence. The platform speaks to your data to help you better understand the life of each customer, so you can make faster, more informed decisions and drive growth by reaching untapped marketsegments. | $120K | Pre-Seed | Jul 19, 2021 |  |
| Sunny Day Fund | Sunny Day Fund offers banking and emergency savings services. They help workers save for brighter days ahead and grow with resiliency. Their solutions include employer-funded emergency savings and a financial well-being diagnostic. An online inquiry form is available on their website. | $20K | Pre-Seed | Jul 19, 2021 |  |

10 of 40 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [Techstars](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/techstars) — VC Fund, 30 deals together
- [Hustle Fund](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/hustle-fund) — VC Fund, 3 deals together
- [Ventures Platform](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/ventures-platform) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [1517 Fund](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/1517-fund) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Allied Venture Partners](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/allied-venture-partners) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Audacity Fund Reno](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/audacity-fund-reno) — VC Fund, 1 deal together

## Similar investors

### Similar stage
- [Antler](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/antler-be9c) — VC Fund
- [Right Side Capital Management](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/right-side-capital-management) — VC Fund
- [Everywhere Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/everywhere-ventures) — VC Fund

## FAQ

### What does Western Union Accelerator Powered by Techstars invest in?

Western Union Accelerator Powered by Techstars invests primarily in FinTech, Financial Services and Finance startups, most often at Pre-Seed and Seed stage. Most of the 40 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 Western Union Accelerator Powered by Techstars?

Public channels for Western Union Accelerator Powered by Techstars include 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 Western Union Accelerator Powered by Techstars?

The team at Western Union Accelerator Powered by Techstars includes Ethan Austin (Director for Los Angeles). 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.

# About Shizune
Shizune.co is an investor database. Core features:
- 48,091 startup investors (angels, VCs, accelerators, and others)
- Email, phone, LinkedIn (for intros), socials, and other contact data
- Updated daily from public funding news
- CSV and Excel export

The User can access the full database FOR FREE after signing up: shizune.co