THE CHALLENGE: The informal economy is Africa’s beating heart, but it runs on borrowed time and borrowed money. Microlenders, savings cooperatives (SACCOs), and informal financiers are often the only lifeline for micro and small enterprises (MSEs), yet they face major bottlenecks: outdated manual operations, lack of verifiable credit data, and no access to wholesale capital. Most rely on personal savings, family loans, or inconsistent third-party funding. The World Bank estimates a $300 billion SME financing gap in the region. Gatamu knew that without digital infrastructure and liquidity pipelines, microlenders would remain stuck, and with them, the small businesses that fuel Africa’s growth.

THE PROCESS: Before launching Cladfy in 2022, Gatamu and her team interviewed over 250 microlenders, SACCOs, and banks to understand their pain points. What emerged was a clear need for three things: better credit assessment, operational efficiency, and easier access to capital. Cladfy’s flagship tool, CashIQ, addresses the first by converting alternative data, like mobile money and bank transaction histories, into credit scores. This opens up lending to borrowers without formal credit records. Cladfy’s loan management software automates day-to-day operations for lenders, and its partnerships with liquidity providers help microlenders finance their loan books and scale responsibly.

THE RESULTS: In just two years, Cladfy has helped over 40,000 small businesses access more than $3 million in working capital, empowering dozens of microlenders to operate more efficiently and extend credit with confidence. Gatamu envisions Cladfy becoming the “Shopify for African lenders,” a digital backbone enabling every microlender, no matter how small, to serve their communities with professionalism, data, and capital.

By equipping last-mile lenders with tools to thrive, Gatamu isn’t just solving for credit, she’s unlocking economic opportunity across the continent.