What is the name of your organization?
Somo Africa
What is the name of your solution?
DigiKua
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
DigiKua: Simple, accessible recordkeeping that helps entrepreneurs grow, track business performance, and access investment for inclusive development.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Nairobi, Kenya
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
KEN
What type of organization is your solution team?
Nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
Women and youth entrepreneurs from low-income communities in East Africa face limited access to capital, business networks, and structured support systems—barriers that prevent their micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) from achieving long-term stability. In Sub-Saharan Africa, 40% of MSMEs cannot access funding, as microfinancing and bank-led initiatives rarely address the needs of small entrepreneurs (Akuma, 2024). As a result, many rely on self-financing to survive.
Women- and youth-owned businesses, in particular, lack data-backed records and are deemed risky, often leading to rejected financing. Even promising businesses are shut out of capital and growth opportunities. Without proper documentation, institutional engagement, or market access, 70% of MSMEs fail—negating their potential to offer both personal progress and community benefit.
When small businesses fail, communities lose vital income sources, families fall deeper into poverty, and entrepreneurs remain unemployed or underpaid. Sub-Saharan women and youth already face unemployment rates of 7.64% and 10.17%, respectively, with minimal social safety nets. Lacking the necessary tools and resources, they are denied the agency to build their own paths out of poverty.
What is your solution?
DigiKua is a simple yet powerful financial access tool that empowers marginalized entrepreneurs with accessible digital recordkeeping, even without internet or formal education. It enables entrepreneurs to make data-driven decisions and lead sustainable growth by simplifying financial reporting. The tool is the core of our holistic digital solutions package for entrepreneurs, which addresses every need from training to financing.
Entrepreneurs access DigiKua via USSD or WhatsApp and log sales, inventory, and expenses through menus. Data is validated with mobile money and bank records, then compiled into online spreadsheets and performance summaries for external documentation. Detailed reports are emailed for minimal internet use.
DigiKua builds alternative credit scores based on their business activity, participation in training, and impact data, opening financing opportunities typically limited to those with formal documentation. Entrepreneurs use key business insights like cash flow, inventory, and profit tracking to improve decision-making and funding readiness. With additional data from training and mentorship, they can use their scorecards to connect with investors and pitch their businesses through Somo Invest, our capital loan platform. DigiKua also helps investors vet aspiring entrepreneurs, prove creditworthiness, and track their investment portfolio.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Somo provides DigiKua to marginalized entrepreneurs, with a focus on women and youth who are often excluded from formal financial systems. These entrepreneurs face barriers such as limited access to capital, poor financial documentation, and lack of tailored support. DigiKua addresses these challenges by enabling users to access standardized financial reporting, improve decision-making, and generate proper documentation needed for funding.
With DigiKua, entrepreneurs track business revenue, household income uplift, customer reach, and job creation in real time. This data helps build a clear financial history, reducing the perceived risk of investing in informal businesses and opening access to funding from lenders and investors.
Beyond financing, DigiKua empowers entrepreneurs to manage resources wisely, boosting income and improving the quality of life for themselves and their families. As their businesses grow, they create jobs and inspire economic opportunity for women and youth in their communities.
Somo also partners with community-based organizations to integrate DigiKua into their entrepreneurship programs. These partners gain valuable insights into the businesses they support, enhancing their impact. By scaling DigiKua through collaboration with local partners, Somo is expanding its benefits to more entrepreneurs across Africa and building a digitally empowered regional ecosystem designed to uplift women and youth.