Thought-Wired, a New Zealand company that makes a "thought-controlled communications device", has won Visa's Everywhere Initiative, a competition that asked start-ups to use Visa's application program interfaces to develop payment innovations.At a pitch event in Sydney last week, Thought-Wired was awarded A$50,000 and an opportunity to pilot its project with Visa.The Everywhere Initiative is a regular Visa event but it was the first time it had been held in Australia and New Zealand. The company uses the event to demonstrate its commitment to "co-creation" in payments.Thought-Wired has developed software called nous, which is a thought controlled communication solution for people who can't move or talk because of profound disabilities. nous uses brain-sensing technology built into a headband and translates thought patterns into signals that select words and images on a computer screen.The company's pitch was to incorporate a payment capability into nous to make it easier for people with disabilities to access electronic accounts.Other finalists included Jude, which has developed a bot that helps people manage their money, Proximiti, a data analytics company, and Rush Digital, a virtual technology developer.