Mastercard has supported Accion since 2011, primarily through the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, an independent subsidiary founded in 2013. Multiple Accion programs and teams, including the Center for Financial Inclusion, Accion Venture Lab, and Accion in the US, have benefited from the partnership.
The Mastercard Center focuses much of its efforts on a subset of entrepreneurs it calls “strivers.” Strivers are entrepreneurs with the motivation and propensity for growth and who with strategic, well-tailored support can grow their businesses into profitable entities and engines for job creation. The Center’s focus on strivers resonates with Accion and together the two organizations have been able to catalyze real impact for this segment of micro and small businesses.