Business Assessment · Africa SME Programme
Getting Started

From survival to establishment.

This assessment maps where your business stands across five dimensions that investors, partners, and formal markets use to evaluate readiness. Honest inputs only.

Honest diagnosis
No flattery. We find what is holding you back from formal capital.
Ranked actions
Prioritised steps ordered by impact — not by ease.
Readiness score
Your score across 5 pillars benchmarked against your stage.
Approximately 8 minutes · 30 questions · No account required
Step 1 of 7
Section 1 of 5 · Business Profile

Tell us about your business.

Basic facts. Be accurate — your results are only as good as your inputs.

Approximate figures are fine.
Solo / 1–2 people
Founder-led
3–10 people
Small team
11–50 people
Growing
50+ people
Established
Step 2 of 7
Section 2 of 5 · Financial Transparency

How well do you know your numbers?

Financial clarity is the most common barrier between African SMEs and formal capital.

Dedicated business account
I use my personal account
Mobile money only
Mostly cash
Rate yourself honestly — 1 = not at all · 5 = fully
I can tell you exactly what my business made and spent last month.
Not at allCompletely
My business expenses are documented and receipts are kept.
Not at allCompletely
I have financial records for the last 12 months that a bookkeeper could work with.
Not at allCompletely
Step 3 of 7
Section 3 of 5 · Operations

Can your business run without you?

Investors back systems, not just founders. Operational maturity determines whether a business can scale.

There are documented processes for how key tasks are done (even simple checklists).
Nothing writtenFully documented
If I were unable to work for 4 weeks, the business would continue functioning.
It would stopIt would continue
Informal — verbal understanding only
Some written agreements or purchase orders
Formal contracts with most key suppliers
Over 70%
High risk
40–70%
Significant
20–40%
Manageable
Under 20%
Well diversified
Step 4 of 7
Section 4 of 5 · Governance & Legal

How formal is your structure?

Legal structure and governance are what make your business legible to capital markets and institutional partners.

Not yet registered
Operating informally
Registered as sole proprietor / business name
Basic, no liability separation
Limited Liability Company (LLC / Ltd)
Formal entity, separate liability
Other (cooperative, PLC, partnership)
Not registered for tax
Registered, not consistently filing
Filing regularly, some gaps
Fully compliant
There are people outside of myself who review and challenge major business decisions.
I decide aloneFormal oversight
Step 5 of 7
Analysing your business
Mapping financial structure…
Evaluating financial transparency
Mapping operational maturity
Assessing governance posture
Benchmarking against sector peers
Identifying capital readiness gaps
Generating prioritised recommendations
Your Assessment Results

Here is where you stand.

This reflects how legible your business is to formal capital — not how hard you work.

/ 100
Your Top 3 Actions
Highest leverage, in order
Open Your Dashboard →
See your full transformation roadmap
This Month's Imperative
Separate business and personal finances before anything else. An investor cannot back what they cannot read.
Readiness Score
/ 100 overall
Weakest Pillar
Address first
Strongest Pillar
Build on this
Stage
Next milestone
Transformation Pillars
Where you stand
Next Actions
Highest leverage now
Investor Readiness
What capital sources need to see

Ask your AI Advisor →

Knows your results · Speaks plainly · Grounded in your market

Market Signal
Risk Flag
Opportunity

Business Advisor

Context loaded · Knows your score · Speaks plainly

Ask me anything about your business.
I have read your assessment. Ask me why your score is what it is, what to do next, or anything about formalising your operation.
Enter to send · Shift+Enter for new line
Your Business Profile
Edit any section · Score recalculates live · Changes apply to your dashboard
Readiness Score
Profile Completeness 0%
Identity & Location
Business name, country, sector, size
Profile
Financial Transparency
Banking, documentation, record-keeping
—/20
Dedicated business account
Fully separated
Personal account
Mixed finances
Mobile money only
M-Pesa, MTN, etc.
Mostly cash
No formal account
Self-assessment · 1 = not at all · 5 = fully
I can tell you exactly what my business made and spent last month.
Not at allCompletely
My business expenses are documented and receipts are kept.
Not at allCompletely
I have financial records for the last 12 months a bookkeeper could work with.
Not at allCompletely
Operations & Systems
Processes, supplier contracts, revenue concentration
—/20
There are documented processes for how key tasks are done (even simple checklists).
Nothing writtenFully documented
If I were unable to work for 4 weeks, the business would continue functioning.
It would stopIt would continue
Informal — verbal understanding only
Some written agreements or purchase orders
Formal contracts with most key suppliers
Over 70%
High risk
40–70%
Significant
20–40%
Manageable
Under 20%
Well diversified
Governance & Legal
Registration, tax compliance, oversight
—/20
Not yet registered
Operating informally
Registered as sole proprietor / business name
Basic — no liability separation
Limited Liability Company (LLC / Ltd)
Formal entity, separate liability
Other (cooperative, PLC, partnership)
Not registered for tax
Registered, not consistently filing
Filing regularly, some gaps
Fully compliant
There are people outside of myself who review and challenge major business decisions.
I decide aloneFormal oversight
Changes recalculate your score in real time