San Francisco is many, sometimes seemingly contradictory things.
It is a major city with small town character. It’s both steeped in history and the center of technological advancement. It’s home to both longtime locals and transplants from all over.
And it is nothing if not a place of constant rebirth and transformation.
We’re proud to call this city our home and to be part of its continued evolution — of the creation of a new kind of waterfront, a new economic center for small businesses, and a growing and vibrant community.
Today, we are thrilled to help open the doors of our new Market Support Center at Mission Rock, on the corner of Toni Stone Crossing and Dr. Maya Angelou Lane in San Francisco, at the intersection of the future of commerce and the future of work.
All the right things in one place
In the past 5 years, the payments ecosystem has changed more than the past 50. Change is a constant, if not the constant in our industry, and we are building the future of commerce right now, in the present.
Doing that kind of work doesn’t just happen. It takes the right people, the right mindset, the right knowledge, skills, tools and environment for connecting and collaborating.
That’s the ethos at the center of our new HQ — to give our people and partners everything they need to envision and build the future of commerce — of everywhere you want to be — today.
The open, flexible future of work
Gone are the days of rigid hourly schedules and assigned seating. Here to stay is a way of working that mirrors the future we’re building together — a future that is flexible, open and tailored to the needs of employees, clients, and partners.
Many of the building’s 13 floors are structured around the idea of neighborhoods, with spaces for both focused, individual work and group collaboration, while a roof deck, terrace, and large and small multi-function rooms offer a range of settings for larger company and client gatherings.
Our brand-new innovation center, too, will give clients, partners, institutions and employees a better understanding of Visa as a company and the kind of product innovation that will shape the next era of digital commerce. And like our existing innovation centers in Dubai, Mexico City, Singapore and Nairobi, the innovation center at Mission Rock is anchored to local culture and trends, helping us better understand the needs of our clients and customers — needs that inform the design and development of unique and forward-looking payments solutions.
A vision, realized
Today, nearly 1,000 Visa employees are already moved in and making full use of the space. Making that happen, though, has taken countless hours of work — of dreaming and planning, putting pen to paper and steel upon steel. It’s been a huge, multi-year, cross-functional effort to build and outfit our new HQ in a manner befitting our company and brand. A big congratulations is due to everyone who contributed to what is already a resounding success.
Finally, as a company with roots in the Bay Area for more than 60 years, we are particularly proud of our continued commitment to the local community in San Francisco. We’re working with local nonprofits to bring laptops, technical support, digital literacy training and financial skills resources to more than 1,000 entrepreneurs and individuals in the City. And Visa Foundation is giving a $100K grant to DonorsChoose, a crowdfunding platform that makes it easy for anyone to help a local classroom in need, funding 155 projects from 112 teachers across 67 schools, impacting an estimated 2,345 San Francisco students. When we say that our mission is to uplift everyone everywhere by being the best way to pay and be paid, this is what we mean.