Contactable raises $13.5M to expand digital identity verification platform across Africa

South African identity verification startup secures funding led by Venture Capitalworks to scale KYC and onboarding solutions. The company plans to invest in AI capabilities, beneficial ownership verification, and payments integration while expanding into underserved African markets.

Shaun Strydom, CEO and founder of Contactable.

South African digital identity verification company Contactable has secured $13.5 million in funding to expand its customer onboarding and electronic Know Your Customer (eKYC) platform across additional African markets.

Contactable, based in Centurion, operates an integrated identity platform that provides businesses with customer onboarding, identity verification, fraud prevention, and compliance capabilities through a single integration point. The platform enables organizations to manage digital customer lifecycles while maintaining security and regulatory compliance.

Venture Capitalworks led the funding round, with participation from Fireball Capital, Ke Nako Capital, and Mavovo. The capital will support development of Ultimate Beneficial Ownership verification, artificial intelligence features, self-sovereign identity solutions, and payments integration capabilities.

Shaun Strydom, CEO and founder of Contactable, described the investment as supporting platform enhancement and customer expansion initiatives. "This funding enables us to strengthen our infrastructure and scale alongside our clients while continuing to build digital identity systems that support Africa's expanding digital economy," Strydom stated.

Strydom indicated the partnership with Venture Capitalworks will facilitate deeper customer relationships, market expansion into underserved regions, and enhanced delivery of secure digital identity verification solutions where demand exists.

Brent Shahim, managing partner at Venture Capitalworks, emphasized the role of digital identity in creating economic access across Africa. "Digital identity serves as a foundation for financial inclusion and digital transformation," Shahim explained. "Our approach involves partnering with established leaders like Shaun and his team, providing not only capital but operational support to accelerate growth trajectories."

The investment addresses growing demand for digital identity verification solutions across African markets, where businesses require secure methods to verify customers remotely while meeting regulatory requirements. Digital KYC platforms have become increasingly important as African economies digitize financial services and expand online commerce.

Contactable's platform addresses challenges organizations face when verifying customer identities across multiple African jurisdictions, each with distinct regulatory frameworks and documentation standards. The company's single integration approach aims to simplify compliance processes for businesses operating across multiple markets.

The funding will support Contactable's expansion strategy as African markets continue digitizing financial services, e-commerce, and government services, all of which require reliable identity verification infrastructure to operate securely and meet compliance obligations.