Boost Technology, Project IKE: Empowering retailers with insights to increase their resilience
Data analysis, behavioral science and conversational commerce provide retailers with insights about their business to drive improved outcomes
Nigeria
Boost Capital: Financial education data de-risks and expands small business credit
Testing the viability of a virtuous circle in which businesses performing well in financial training are rewarded with lower-cost loans
Cambodia
Stay up to date on our latest news, funding and partnership opportunities
Programs
Featured Program
Test Program 2024
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Strive Indonesia: Empowering 300,000 small businesses to succeed in the digital economy
Driving the digitalization of Indonesian small businesses and offering bespoke support, especially to women entrepreneurs.
Indonesia
Strive USA: Supporting small business growth and resilience
Strive USA will connect small businesses to the support they need to thrive.
USA
Strive Mexico: Roads to resilience for MSEs
Supporting 400,000 small businesses and women micro-entrepreneurs by strengthening the country’s entrepreneurship support ecosystem.
Mexico
Strive Czechia: supporting 250,000 small businesses to succeed in the digital economy
Bolstering the resilience and growth of Czech small businesses through digitalization, peer mentoring, and financial services.
Czech Republic
Supporting the digitization of micro-enterprises in Brazil’s favelas
Training, gamification, and mentoring promote the adoption of digital tools and facilitate access to credit for favela based businesses.
Brazil
Strive UK: Empowering 650,000 British entrepreneurs to succeed in the digital economy
Connecting micro- and small business owners with the training, technology, and tools to build resilience and thrive.
United Kingdom
XRGlobal: Testing multi-user virtual reality for small business owner upskilling
Virtual Reality technology upskills small business owners by bringing them into immersive experiences alongside peer learners
Brazil
FUNDES: Connecting artisans and craft merchants to the most appropriate digitization tools
Building the first online community where artisans and craft merchants can interact and learn from their peers and adopt essential digital solutions
Mexico
Boost Technology, Project IKE: Empowering retailers with insights to increase their resilience
Data analysis, behavioral science and conversational commerce provide retailers with insights about their business to drive improved outcomes
Nigeria
Open Contracting Partnership: Government contracts made accessible for small businesses
Using open data to seamlessly connect small businesses awarded government contracts with financial institutions who can offer them credit
Colombia
Boost Capital: Financial education data de-risks and expands small business credit
Testing the viability of a virtuous circle in which businesses performing well in financial training are rewarded with lower-cost loans
Cambodia
Flourish Fi: Data-driven nudges for improved money management
Behavioral science and AI-driven incentives and nudges help build healthy financial management habits
Brazil
ChatGenie: Making social commerce work better for small businesses
New features reduce friction for businesses selling on social media, and enable management of multiple channels within a single app
Philippines
Novek: IOT-enabled vending machines maximize sales for retailers
Tech-enabled vending machines dispensing household staples increase sales, reduce stock outs, and eliminate single-use plastic
Kenya
TechnoServe: E-commerce toolkit teaches business owners new ways to grow their online businesses
Business owners learn how to grow their online customer base, increase online sales and profits, and boost customer satisfaction
Global
MESH: The first online community for entrepreneurs in the informal economy
Micro retailers are connected to new market opportunities and a thriving community of peers and mentors for guidance and encouragement
Kenya
Arifu: WhatsApp chatbot provides tips for micro-retailers
A personalized, interactive WhatsApp chatbot provides micro-retailers with practical guidance on how to digitize operations and access credit
Kenya, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Uganda
‘Small Business, Big Dreams’ upskilling program in partnership with Grab
Videos and live webinars equip business owners to improve their businesses or start new ones
Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam
Michael Miebach
CEO, Mastercard
"When small businesses thrive our local communities and economies thrive, but when they struggle, the impact is widespread. What small business owners need right now is partners who listen to them and develop innovative solutions that help them grow in the wake of the pandemic. That’s what makes programs like Strive so critical today and tomorrow."
From the Blog
Featured Article
A closer look at the digitalization of European businesses in the wake of COVID-19
Firms that adopted digital technologies fared better during the pandemic but there were disparities in adoption with regard to firm size Financial support to digitalize played an important role, and more is needed The EU needs to focus on reducing the widening digital divide Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the adoption of digital technologies was usually associated with more innovative businesses.
Behind the headlines: The critical role of credit unions in deploying $27 billion in federal…
Toward a green economy: Enabling small businesses to become more sustainable and resilient through…
Opening doors and connecting dots: How the small business ecosystem in Missouri is meeting…
How to show your authentic self in your innovation fund application
Meeting small businesses where they are: Technical assistance models that work in an increasingly…
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again: The power of continuous learning in innovation
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Tern Eco: Making circularity easy for micro- and small businesses
Supporting small businesses to sell online: How can local providers and networks build small…
Harnessing the powerful reach of social media to promote educational content to Latin American…
How trust scales impact: The role of local partners in federal programs for small businesses
Unlocking new markets and faster practices: How digital tools support small businesses to become…
The digital marketplace dilemma: Growth opportunities and challenges for small businesses
Public-private partnerships and small businesses: A conversation on what is working in New York…
Cracking the Code: The Game-Changing Impact of Digital Upskilling on Small Enterprises
How a wave of government programs for small businesses are strengthening the U.S.
Exploring the evidence: The power of tailored digital financial services for small businesses
Harnessing immersive learning: Upskilling tractor owners to grow their businesses through VR
How Vested Impact enables data-driven impact assessments for micro- and small businesses
Building bridges for small businesses: Highlights from the inaugural Strive USA Summit in New York
Deploying Internet-of-Things dispensers in informal retail: What have we learned?
Developing data-driven learning journeys for micro- and small entrepreneurs in Brazil
Developing data-driven learning journeys for micro- and small entrepreneurs in Brazil
Shared challenges, unique contexts: Mastercard Strive USA launches event series focused on local…
Insights
Consumer protection
Adopting digital financial services by small businesses can increase their access to finance and strengthen their financial inclusion. However, a lack of trust arising from consumer protection risks can limit the adoption process.
Financial services for women-owned small businesses
Globally, one in three businesses are owned by women, who often encounter obstacles in financing, owning, and growing a business. Digital financial services can have positive business and household impacts on women.
Embedded finance
Embedded finance allows small businesses to access financial services through digital interfaces with which they already interact, with the potential to offer faster access to timely and tailored products.
Measurement in a digital age
The pandemic challenged traditional approaches to monitoring, evaluation and learning systems for business support programs, presenting new opportunities for optimization, learning, and impact measurement.
Digitizing payments
Digitizing payments not only offers small businesses many benefits and efficiencies, it also provides positive spillover effects for their customers and suppliers, and strengthens financial inclusion efforts.
Digital insurance
Small businesses are often more vulnerable to risks and shocks compared to larger enterprises. Insurance can be critical to small businesses better absorbing financial shocks, building assets, and managing risks.
Access to finance
Access to finance is critical to small businesses’ development and growth, but few solutions account for their nuanced and diverse needs, resulting in a huge small business financing gap globally.
Enabling small businesses to grow by outsourcing
For small businesses who want to grow, hiring new staff is not the only option—they could also consider outsourcing. Outsourcing enables small businesses to strengthen and execute their operations and improve efficiency.
Digital peer networks to support small businesses
Peers can support fellow small business owners by sharing business practices, facilitating new connections, and offering tailored advice. 80% of small businesses believe interacting with peers improves their business outcomes.
Digital mentoring for small businesses
Mentoring offers relationship-based guidance from experienced business owners for small businesses to develop new skills and networks to support growth. Digital channels have increased the availability and convenience of mentoring.
Delivering digital training to small businesses
Training that is delivered to small businesses through digital channels is increasingly promising. It can integrate techniques that increase knowledge retention and user engagement, leading to positive impacts for small business capacity building.
Designing digital training for small businesses
Training programs that are delivered digitally show promise for small business owners with limited time to access key information when they need it. Digital training is convenient, cost-effective, and engaging, so long as it is designed well.
