South Africa has one of the most extensive small business funding ecosystems on the African continent. Government grants, development finance loans, corporate enterprise development programmes, alternative lenders, impact funds — hundreds of instruments designed to put capital into the hands of entrepreneurs building something real. The money exists. The programmes exist. The intentions are genuine.
And yet the majority of South African entrepreneurs — particularly those in the informal and township economy — have never successfully accessed a single rand of it. Not because they are not viable. Not because they are not working hard enough. But because nobody ever sat down and explained, in plain language, what they actually qualify for.
LevUp was built to be that conversation, at scale, freely accessible to entrepreneurs.
How It Works
Answer a short diagnostic
Tell us about your business — no jargon, no lengthy forms. Registered users unlock a deeper second phase that refines results by location, payment method, and business model.
We score 300+ instruments
LevUp's matching engine scores 300+ South African funding instruments in real time and ranks them by how well you qualify right now.
Get your matched path
Each match comes with eligibility criteria, a documents checklist, a step-by-step application guide, and a readiness tracker — all saved to your dashboard.
Answer a short diagnostic
Tell us about your business — no jargon, no lengthy forms. Registered users unlock a deeper second phase that refines results by location, payment method, and business model.
We score 300+ instruments
LevUp's matching engine scores 300+ South African funding instruments in real time and ranks them by how well you qualify right now.
Get your matched path
Each match comes with eligibility criteria, a documents checklist, a step-by-step application guide, and a readiness tracker — all saved to your dashboard.
Three steps. A clear result. A real path forward.
Who This Is For
Individuals & Sole Traders
Freelancers, hawkers, home-based, informal vendors
Informal Groups
Stokvels, savings clubs, burial societies
Registered Companies
Pty (Ltd), CC, Inc — any stage
Non-profits & Co-ops
NPOs, NGOs, co-operatives, social enterprises
The idea came from years of working at the intersection of business strategy and creative execution — watching businesses of all sizes go through the funding process and seeing the same pattern repeat itself. Even for businesses with professional support, the process was fragmented and exhausting.
For the food cart operator running a tight, disciplined operation with loyal daily customers, the process was effectively invisible. These were not edge cases. They were the majority of South African entrepreneurs, and the funding system had simply never been designed with them in mind.
LevUp was built because that gap is not acceptable. Not when the money is there. Not when the entrepreneurs are there. Not when the only thing standing between the two is a process that was never designed to meet people where they are.
In the Press
Our Story
Funding Remains One of the Biggest Challenges Facing South African Entrepreneurs
By Roy Mulenga · Business Tech Africa · Founder Fridays series · 10 July 2026
Many founders were spending more time searching for funding than understanding what funders were actually looking for.
Through years of working with startups and later navigating the funding process himself, Khobone Ntsoaole noticed a pattern that would eventually become the foundation of LevUp. That realisation led to the creation of a platform that helps entrepreneurs identify funding opportunities suited to their businesses while highlighting what they need to address before approaching investors.
Finding the Gap
Khobone did not set out to build a funding platform. His career began in multimedia before expanding into digital marketing, governance communications, business development and technology. Working with established organisations and later with startups gave him a front-row seat to the challenges many small businesses face.
As a digital marketing manager, much of his work centred on data and helping organisations understand their audiences. Later, as he worked more closely with startup founders, the conversations shifted from marketing to one recurring challenge — finding the funding needed to keep businesses moving. Many believed funding was the missing piece. Khobone started asking a different question: were they ready for it?
When he launched his own business, he found himself facing the same uncertainty. He looked at grants, venture capital and other funding options but quickly realised he did not fully understand which ones suited his business or whether he met the requirements.
"I wasn't too sure what to go for. As I spent more time researching different funding instruments, I realised many entrepreneurs were asking exactly the same questions."
Khobone believes South Africa does not necessarily have a shortage of funding programmes. The bigger challenge, he says, is helping businesses qualify for them. Too many entrepreneurs submit applications without fully understanding what funders require — discovering only later that they need audited financial statements, tax compliance or a stronger trading history before they can even be considered.
That gap is exactly what LevUp was built to address. The platform starts by helping entrepreneurs understand where their businesses stand before pointing them towards funding opportunities that match their level of readiness. For Khobone, securing the right funding starts with understanding the business first.
Getting the Basics Right
One of the biggest misconceptions among small business owners, Khobone notes, is that compliance only matters once funding becomes available. Many entrepreneurs see tax clearance, financial statements and other legal requirements as complicated processes better suited to larger companies. In reality, he says, these are some of the first things investors and lenders look for.
This feature is excerpted from Business Tech Africa's Founder Fridays series, published 10 July 2026, written by Roy Mulenga. LevUp is grateful to the publication for telling our story.
Our Organisation
LevUp (Pty) Ltd is a subsidiary of Change & Knowledge Experience (Pty) Ltd, a B-BBEE Level 1 creative studio and consultancy based in Johannesburg.
Change & Knowledge Experience (Pty) Ltd: 2023/586242/07
LevUp (Pty) Ltd: 2026/179991/07
