From assessment to funded: in three steps
Akha replaces the chaos of SME funding with a structured, data-driven pathway. Know your readiness, prove it with verified documents, and let the platform do the matching.
Assess
Know exactly where you stand
Complete our adaptive, 5-minute questionnaire. It covers every dimension funders care about: compliance, financials, market position, strategy, risk exposure, and impact. At the end, you receive your personalised Akha Score (0–500) and a prioritised remediation roadmap.
- 50+ adaptive questions across 6 scoring dimensions
- Sector-specific logic: no irrelevant questions
- Instant Akha Score on completion
- AI-generated 12-month readiness roadmap
- Shadow accounts to model 'what-if' improvements
Assess
Know exactly where you stand
Verify
Prove it with hard evidence
Upload your compliance and governance documents to your private Virtual Data Room (VDR). Akha's Document AI automatically parses and validates against authoritative registers. Pass the checks and earn your 'Akha Verified' trust badge, the signal funders look for before opening a conversation.
- Automated CIPC & SARS tax clearance validation
- Beneficial Ownership (BO) declaration
- POPIA & FICA consent management
- Immutable, time-stamped audit trail
- Granular access control: you decide who sees what
Verify
Prove it with hard evidence
Match
Capital comes to you
Akha's AI Matching Engine compares your verified readiness profile against every live funding opportunity and funder mandate in the platform. You get a ranked, personalised feed of matches, each with a plain-language explanation of why you qualify. Funders can also discover you via anonymous teaser profiles.
- Matches ranked by relevance score (0–100)
- Covers grants, loans, equity, and PO financing
- Natural-language match explanation for every opportunity
- Anonymous teaser profile protects your identity
- One-click due diligence pack for interested funders
Match
Capital comes to you
Your Akha Score, explained
A single number from 0 to 500 that tells funders everything they need to know about your readiness. It's calculated across six weighted dimensions, using the same criteria institutional funders apply manually, now automated.
Revenue trends, profitability, liquidity ratios, and cash-flow stability drawn from connected accounting data.
CIPC registration status, valid tax clearance, POPIA consent, B-BBEE level, and Beneficial Ownership declarations.
Sector competitiveness, customer concentration, revenue diversification, and market share indicators.
Clarity of growth plan, operational systems, technology adoption, and leadership capability.
Key-person dependency, insurance coverage, disaster recovery posture, and regulatory risk exposure.
Job creation, community impact, gender & youth-owned status, and environmental practices.
What does your score mean?
Strong fundamentals across all dimensions. You can approach funders with confidence.
Good foundation with addressable gaps. A consultant can help close them quickly.
Visible potential but significant gaps. Work through your remediation roadmap before approaching funders.
Foundational work needed. The roadmap will guide you step by step.
Deal-breaker flags (e.g. non-compliant Beneficial Ownership or expired tax clearance) override the weighted score and set it to 0 until resolved.
The Compliance Vault
Your Virtual Data Room (VDR) is a bank-grade secure document repository where every file is encrypted, AI-verified, and access-controlled. When you share it with a funder, they receive exactly what they need, nothing more and nothing less.
Document Checklist
Confirms your company is validly registered in South Africa.
Proves your tax affairs are in order, required by most funders.
Confirms the natural persons behind the entity.
Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment rating certificate.
Supports the financial health dimension of your Akha Score.
Strengthens your financial credibility with funders.
Your journey on Akha
Different goals, one platform. Here's how each role moves through the ecosystem.
Founders & SME Owners
- 1Register & Complete AssessmentSign up free. A 5-minute questionnaire gives you your Akha Score and a personalised roadmap.
- 2Build Your Compliance VaultUpload required documents. Akha AI validates them automatically, with no manual review delays.
- 3Earn Your Akha Verified BadgeOnce 100% verified, your badge signals readiness to funders browsing the marketplace.
- 4Get Matched AutomaticallyYour profile is live. Funders discover you via anonymous teasers; our engine sends you matched opportunities daily.
- 5Share Your Data Room SelectivelyGrant individual funders or consultants time-limited, permissioned access to your VDR. You stay in control.
Funders & Investors
- 1Define Your MandateSet your investment criteria: sector, geography, funding type, deal size, minimum Akha Score.
- 2Browse the Pre-Verified PipelineAccess a live pipeline of Akha Verified SMEs ranked against your mandate, with no cold outreach needed.
- 3Review Anonymous TeasersEvaluate key metrics and sector fit on anonymised profiles before requesting identity disclosure.
- 4Request Access & Receive Due Diligence PackOne-click due diligence packs containing verified documents, Akha Score breakdown, and financials.
- 5Track & Manage Deal FlowA Kanban pipeline tracks every SME from first contact to close. Portfolio analytics surface conversion metrics.
Consultants & Advisors
- 1Onboard & Get VerifiedRegister as a Consultant. Your expertise and specialisation are visible to SMEs in the platform.
- 2Manage a Client PortfolioAdd multiple SME clients to your workspace. Track each client's Akha Score trajectory and outstanding tasks.
- 3Guide RemediationUse AI-generated roadmaps to create structured remediation plans and assign tasks with deadlines.
- 4Facilitate IntroductionsWhen a client is match-ready, you can broker introductions to funders directly within the platform.
- 5Demonstrate ImpactImpact reporting tools let you show clients, and prospective clients, measurable readiness improvements over time.
Common questions
Everything you need to know before getting started.
How long does the assessment take?
Most founders complete it in under 5 minutes. The questionnaire is adaptive: if a section isn't relevant to your business, it's skipped automatically.
Is my data safe?
All documents are encrypted at rest using AES-256 and in transit using TLS 1.3. Your Compliance Vault is POPIA and FICA compliant, and you control access at all times via granular permissions.
What does it cost?
The assessment and initial Akha Score are completely free. Premium features, including the full VDR, AI-generated roadmap, and unlimited matching, are available on paid plans.
What happens if my Akha Score is low?
A low score is a roadmap, not a rejection. Akha generates a prioritised list of corrective actions for every gap. You can re-assess at any time and track your score improvement over 12 months.
What funding types are available?
The marketplace covers government grants (NEF, SEDA, IDC), commercial debt (working capital, asset finance, purchase order finance), and equity / venture funding from private investors and family offices.
Do funders contact me directly?
Only if you approve it. Funders first see anonymous teaser profiles. A request for your identity triggers a notification. You accept or decline before any data is shared.
Is Akha a lender or funder?
No. Akha is a deal origination and readiness platform. We facilitate the matchmaking and due diligence process; we do not execute funding transactions or hold funds.
Ready to see your Akha Score?
The assessment is free, takes 5 minutes, and gives you an instant, actionable picture of your funding readiness.