New AI platform aims to help SA’s small businesses avoid falling through the cracks

A new artificial intelligence (AI) platform has been launched to help small business owners get the support they need in a country where most do not survive their first five years.

The platform, called Rinku, which means “link” or “connect”, 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. Even so, 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 the country as the seventh weakest of the 56 economies it assessed. South Africa scored just 3.9 out of 10 for its enabling environment for entrepreneurship.

Rinku director Gift Lubele said the problem was not only about access to funding, but it was also about the fragmented system in which entrepreneurs and funders work.

“Too many entrepreneurs move from one programme to another without anyone developing a complete picture of the business journey,” said Lubele.

SMME programmes often measure participation rather than progress over the long-term. Entrepreneurs need support that aligns with their growth objective as well as the gaps they are experiencing—  Jayshree Naidoo, Yiedi CEO

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. When they join another programme, they may have to start from the beginning again.

Rinku is meant to change that. When a business owner signs up, the platform looks at areas such as:

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.

“A struggling business does not necessarily need another generic entrepreneurship programme,” said Lubele.

It needs the right intervention, delivered at the right time, based on a clear diagnosis of what is holding it back.”

Lubele stressed that 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. Meanwhile, organisations that fund programmes get a single view of their spending across different programmes.

The new AI platform hopes to help struggling SMMEs find the right help. The platform also keeps a continuous record of an entrepreneur’s journey. It tracks where the business started, the support it received, the progress it has made and the help it may still need. Business owners are responsible for keeping their information up to date.

This means future mentors, programme operators and funders can make better-informed decisions. It can also show when a business is starting to struggle, so that help can be offered before things get critical.

Rinku was developed with the support of Yiedi, an organisation that specialises in entrepreneurship and supplier development. Yiedi CEO Jayshree Naidoo, who is also the founder of Womx Women in Business, has played a significant role in the space, particularly in empowering female entrepreneurs. She called the platform a game-changer for the industry.

“This platform can significantly accelerate the impact of funded programmes on the journey of entrepreneurs,” she said.

“SMME programmes often measure participation rather than progress over the long-term. Entrepreneurs need support that aligns with their growth objective as well as the gaps they are experiencing.”

Naidoo said there are already several support platforms in the country but Rinku is designed with the entrepreneur at the centre of the ecosystem. Support on the platform is data- and diagnostic-driven, using the power of AI to enable access across the ecosystem.

“So far, just over 100 early access entrepreneurs have signed up,” said Naidoo.

The bigger goal is to create an ecosystem where information, funding and support is readily available, which means businesses are less likely to fall through the cracks—  Gift Lubele, Rinku director

With the platform officially launching on Wednesday, she expects that number to grow to more than 2,500 businesses within the first year.

Rinku is not starting from scratch. Naidoo said its offline solution has already helped more than 250 businesses through diagnostics and mentorship.

One example is the 2025 Womx Women in Business programme, in which 50 female founders went through a six-month customised development journey driven by data and diagnostic support. According to Naidoo, the programme resulted in more than 152 jobs being created and a revenue shift of more than R17m across the group. Some of this is evidenced in the Womx white paper on womx.co.za.

Naidoo said success will be measured by the number of jobs created, revenue growth and improved operations.

“All this will be seen on the platform in real time, through the data and diagnostics.”

As more businesses and organisations use Rinku, it hopes to build a clearer picture of the challenges facing South African entrepreneurs, the interventions that work and the areas where more support is needed.

“The bigger goal is to create an ecosystem where information, funding and support is readily available, which means businesses are less likely to fall through the cracks,” said Lubele.

Entrepreneurs can register for early access at rinku-connect.com.