A new artificial intelligence (AI) platform, Rinku, has been launched to help small business owners in South Africa get the support they need. The platform aims to close the gap between the billions spent on developing small-, medium- and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) and the continuing struggles of many small businesses. South Africa has about 3-million small businesses and a large network of organisations that support entrepreneurs.
Despite the support available, research shows that between 70% and 80% of SMMEs fail within their first five years. The 2026 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor National Expert Survey special report ranks South Africa as the seventh weakest of the 56 economies it assessed. The country scored just 3.9 out of 10 for its enabling environment for entrepreneurship. This has prompted the development of Rinku, which aims to provide targeted support to small businesses.
Rinku director Gift Lubele said the problem was not only about access to funding, but also about the fragmented system in which entrepreneurs and funders work. Many entrepreneurs take part in several development programmes, but the results of their assessments and the milestones they reach usually stay in the records of the company or partner that ran the programme. This can lead to duplication of effort and a lack of continuity in support.
Rinku is designed to change this by providing a single platform where entrepreneurs can access support tailored to their needs. When a business owner signs up, the platform looks at areas such as finance, compliance, operations, market presence, and risk. Its AI engine studies the information, points out the gaps, and suggests practical next steps. The owner can then be matched with mentors, programmes, and opportunities that suit the business’s sector, stage, and needs.
According to Lubele, AI supports decision-making but does not replace people. Programme partners decide which interventions to provide, investors make the funding decisions, and entrepreneurs stay in charge of the direction of their businesses. The platform also keeps a continuous record of an entrepreneur’s journey, tracking where the business started, the support it received, the progress it has made, and the help it may still need.
Rinku was developed with the support of Yiedi, an organisation that specialises in entrepreneurship and supplier development. Yiedi CEO Jayshree Naidoo said the platform is a game-changer for the industry, allowing for more targeted and effective support for entrepreneurs. She noted that there are already several support platforms in the country, but Rinku is designed with the entrepreneur at the centre of the ecosystem.
The platform has already attracted interest, with over 100 early access entrepreneurs signing up. Naidoo expects this number to grow to more than 2,500 businesses within the first year. The success of the platform will be measured by the number of jobs created, revenue growth, and improved operations. With Rinku, the goal is to create an ecosystem where information, funding, and support are readily available, reducing the likelihood of small businesses falling through the cracks.
Key points
- The platform uses AI to provide targeted support to small businesses, matching them with mentors, programmes, and opportunities tailored to their needs.
- Rinku aims to create a single ecosystem where information, funding, and support are readily available to small businesses.
- The platform has the potential to significantly accelerate the impact of funded programmes on the journey of entrepreneurs.
