Supported ventures

Companions Fintech

COMPANIONS FINTECH (Pty) Ltd

Brands: COMPANIONS FINTECH, COMPANIONS SME FINTECH

Flagship product: A token-powered platform the enables short/long-term investing in SME loan listings.

Founding team: Wandile Gumede

Application: An online investment platform where anyone can invest in loan listings created by verified SMEs (Small and medium businesses) and earn returns.

Sector/Industry: Fintech.

Subsector: SME Lending and Alternative investments.

Year founded and commenced operations: 2025

Year partnered with TuksNovation: 2025

Email address: info@companionsfintech.xyz 

Website: companionsfintech.xyz

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/companionsfintech/

X: x.com/SMEFINTCEH

 

Description

Companions is a fintech investment platform that allows anyone to invest in verified SME loan listings. The platform operates using a blockchain-based Utility token, LND, which enables seamless, fractional, and borderless investments. Companions provides a transparent, communitydriven alternative to traditional finance—empowering everyday investors to support high-potential businesses while earning returns. At the same time, it offers SMEs a more flexible and inclusive way to access funding and build trust with their communities.

Growth Objectives

  • Attract the attention of impact investors, alternative investment firms, and high-potential SMEs
  • Develop and launch an MVP with a seamless SME onboarding, verification, and loan listing process
  • Secure regulatory licensing, including NCR registration and compliance with token-related financial standards
  • Build a strong and trustworthy social media presence to grow community engagement and platform awareness
  • Establish partnerships with local business networks, SME hubs, and fintech collaborators
  • Pilot live investments with a small batch of verified SMEs to test real-world usage and repayment
  • Refine the token economy to support secure, fiat-backed investment and smooth user withdrawals
  • Prepare for cross-border rollout, starting with South Africa and Singapore

Differentiation/Value Proposition

Companions makes it easy for impact investors to support small businesses while spreading their risk across multiple verified opportunities. We handle the heavy lifting—verifying business information — so investors can focus on due diligence and returns.

For SMEs, we provide fast, low-paperwork access to capital while helping them gain visibility and recognition in the market.

Business Stage/Phase

Companions is currently in the early stage, focused on market validation and building the first prototype (MVP). We’ve:

  • developed a live waitlist,
  • launched a landing page,
  • and actively engaging with potential users and partners to shape the platform’s core features.

Investment Stage/Phase

We are currently in the pre-seed stage and preparing to raise funding to support our early growth. With the capital secured, we aim to:

  • Obtain necessary licenses and regulatory approvals (including NCR and token compliance)
  • Cover early operational and development expenses
  • Build and launch our MVP
  • Grow our user base through marketing and strategic partnerships

Investment Raised

  • Secured R40,000 through the TuksNovation incubation program
  • Bootstrapped R6,000 in personal funds