Your Company Profile: What Funders Actually Check
Why getting your company registration details exactly right matters more than you think.
Why Your Company Profile Matters
Your company profile is the foundation that everything else rests on. Funders treat it as a verification step, not a formality.
What Funders Check First
Institutional funders like SEFA, IDC, and NEF run automated checks against the CIPC database. If your registered name, registration number, or ownership percentages do not match what is on file, your application will be flagged before a human reviews it.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Name mismatches: Using "ABC Café" when your registered name is "ABC Café (Pty) Ltd" will cause a rejection flag. Use the full legal name exactly as it appears on your registration certificate.
Wrong registration number: Your CIPC registration number starts with a year prefix (e.g., 2023/123456/07). Your tax number (from SARS) is different — do not confuse the two.
Ownership that does not add to 100%: Funders see fractional ownership discrepancies as a red flag. Double-check that all your percentages sum to exactly 100%.
Checklist
- [ ] Company name matches CIPC exactly (including Pty Ltd or CC suffix)
- [ ] Registration number is from CIPC, not SARS
- [ ] All ownership percentages total exactly 100%
- [ ] Physical address is your registered operating location