Programmes
We are opening our software to South African business programmes
Synkra Technologies · · 7 min read
Synkra builds software products for small and growing businesses. Today we are opening Programme Access, an initiative that gives business programmes, incubators, accelerators and similar organisations free access to our software for the businesses they support.
If you run a programme that works with small businesses in South Africa, this is written for you.
Why we are doing this
Most software companies try to reach small businesses one at a time. Advertising, cold email, phone calls, trade shows. It is slow, it is expensive, and most of the businesses they reach were never going to buy anything. The mismatch is not usually the fault of the businesses. It is the fault of the channel. A company that does not know a market ends up guessing about which businesses to talk to, and it guesses wrong.
Programmes work differently. A programme director has spent months, sometimes years, working closely with a specific set of businesses. They know which founders are serious, which ones are building quietly, which ones need a small push to take the next step. That knowledge is not something a software company can buy or replicate. It comes from being inside the room.
We could spend the next two years building a sales team to reach small businesses directly. Or we could work with the people who already support them. Programme Access is the second option, and it is the one we think has a longer life.
What the programme receives
Every programme that joins Programme Access receives four things.
The first is a workspace for the programme itself. It is free, and it is theirs to keep. They can use it for their own incoming enquiries, for communicating with participants, for website chat or for email. The programme is not just distributing software to its cohort. It gets to use it too, which matters if the director ever wants to explain to a funder what the software actually does.
The second is an allocation of workspaces for the businesses in their cohort. The allocation is agreed with each programme individually. It reflects the size of their cohort and their operating model rather than a number we set in advance and apply to everyone. Businesses then sign up one by one, whenever they are ready.
The third is a dedicated onboarding page for the cohort. The programme gets one link with their programme name on it. They share it once with their cohort and every business that uses it is tagged to that programme automatically. There are no codes for the director to distribute, no spreadsheets to maintain, and no tracking for anyone to do. Every business that signs up through the link is attributed to the programme from that point forward.
The fourth is a monthly report. Once a month, we send the programme director a short set of numbers showing how many businesses from their cohort activated an account and how the software is being used. This is the part of the initiative we are most careful about, and it is worth explaining why.
Choice of signup mode
The question we heard most from programme directors we talked to was not what the software does, but how to make sure only their participants got in. That is a real problem. A public signup link can be forwarded, shared on a WhatsApp group, and used by people who are not part of the cohort at all. When that happens, the real participants are the ones who lose out.
So Programme Access has two signup modes. You pick which one fits your cohort, and you can change it later.
Open link. We send you a public signup link. You share it with your cohort through whatever channel you normally use. Anyone with the link can sign up. This is the fastest mode to start with, and the one most programmes choose for their first cohort.
Personal invites. You send us a list of participant names and email addresses, one row per person. We email each one a personal invitation. The link in that email only works for the email address it was sent to. If someone forwards it, the signup fails and the recipient sees a message explaining the link is for a different address. Nobody outside your list can get in.
Both modes take about five minutes to set up. Both run with zero ongoing work from your side. Neither requires you to check a list, review signups, or chase participants.
Most programmes start with the open link because it is fastest, and switch to personal invites for later cohorts if they want tighter control. If you already know that your cohort is fixed and only certain businesses should get in, start with personal invites.
The reporting, and why we built it the way we did
Funders are becoming more specific about what they ask programmes to show. Attendance numbers and graduation photos used to be enough to demonstrate that a programme worked. That is no longer true. Increasingly, funders want to know what businesses actually did with the resources they were given. Did they use the tools? Did anything change? Can the programme show evidence of adoption?
For most programmes, this is a hard question to answer. A workshop can be counted. A tool that was handed out and never opened cannot.
The monthly report is our attempt to answer that question. It shows how many businesses signed up, how many activated an account by sending or receiving a first customer message, how many were active in the last 30 days, and how many conversations were handled across the cohort. All aggregate numbers, no personal data, no individual business details, no content from anyone's conversations.
We built the report the way we did because we did not want it to be a marketing artifact. It is a small set of numbers a programme director can put in front of a funder or a board without having to edit anything out. It is designed to be honest about the difference between signing up and actually using something, because that distinction is exactly what funders are starting to ask about.
What the businesses receive
Businesses that sign up through a programme link receive a free account on our platform for an agreed period. They set it up themselves, and they can be using it within the same day.
Our first product is a customer communication platform. It brings website chat and email conversations into one inbox, with an AI Agent that answers routine customer questions using information that the business has approved. When a conversation needs a person, the AI Agent passes it to a member of the team. The customer does not repeat themselves, and the business does not have to manage two separate systems for automated and human conversations.
A second product, a workflow automation platform, is close to completion. It will let a business connect the tools it already uses and automate processes between them, without writing code. Businesses onboarded through Programme Access will be able to add it to the same account when it launches.
What the programme has to do
Pick a signup mode, then set it up once. That is the whole ask.
With the open link, you share one public signup link with your cohort. With personal invites, you send us a list of names and emails, and we send each participant their own invitation. Both modes take about five minutes from your side.
Neither mode requires any ongoing work from the programme. No selling, no commission structure, no referral management, and no additional programme administration. We handle the setup of every account, the onboarding of every business, and the support questions that come up along the way. If a business has a technical problem, they contact us, not the programme director.
Programme directors are busy. The whole design of Programme Access is meant to take as little of their time as possible, and the last thing we wanted to do was hand them a new operational responsibility on top of the work they already do.
Who it is for
Programme Access is open to organisations across South Africa that work directly with small and growing businesses. That includes business incubators, accelerators, enterprise development programmes, youth entrepreneurship programmes, university innovation hubs, township business programmes, and sector specific programmes.
If the businesses your programme supports talk to their own customers, this fits. If they do not, it probably does not, and we would rather tell you that now than waste your time.
How to apply
Send an email to hello@synkra.co.za with three things: the name of your programme, an approximate cohort size, and one line on what the programme does. Applications are reviewed by the Synkra team personally and we respond within two business days. If it is a fit, we set up your workspace and send you the onboarding link. That is the whole process.
Why we are starting here
Synkra is based in Johannesburg. South Africa is our home market. Every product we sell is designed around the reality of running a small business in this country rather than a generic international template that happens to be available here. Programme Access is a continuation of that. It only makes sense if it works for the businesses that are already here, and that is the standard we are holding it to.
If your programme supports small businesses, we would like to hear from you.
Frequently asked questions
What is Programme Access?
Programme Access is an initiative from Synkra Technologies that gives business programmes, incubators, accelerators and similar organisations free access to our software for the businesses they support.
Who can apply?
Any organisation that works directly with small and growing businesses in South Africa. This includes business incubators, accelerators, enterprise development programmes, youth entrepreneurship programmes, university innovation hubs, township business programmes and sector specific programmes.
What does the programme receive?
A free workspace for the programme itself, an allocation of free workspaces for the businesses in their cohort, a dedicated onboarding page, and a monthly report showing how the software is being used.
What does the programme have to do?
Pick a signup mode and set it up once. Either share a public link with your cohort, or send us a list of participant names and emails so we can send each one a personal invitation. Both take about five minutes. Neither requires any ongoing work.
What is the difference between the two signup modes?
With the open link, anyone with the link can sign up. This is the fastest mode and works well for programmes that trust their cohort. With personal invites, only the emails you send us can sign up. This is for programmes where you need to guarantee that only your participants get in. You can switch between modes at any time.
What do the businesses receive?
A free account on our platform for an agreed period, with a customer communication platform and, when it launches, a workflow automation product available on the same account.
How much does Programme Access cost?
Nothing. There is no cost to the programme and no cost to the participating businesses.
How long does the free access last?
The length of the free period is agreed with each programme when they join. It is based on the programme's own operating cycle.
What does the monthly report show?
Aggregate numbers only: how many businesses signed up, how many activated an account, how many were active in the last 30 days, and total conversations handled across the cohort. No personal data and no content from conversations.
How does the programme know which businesses came from their cohort?
Every business that signs up through the programme link is tagged to that programme automatically. The report reflects only businesses from that cohort.
How do I apply?
Email hello@synkra.co.za with the name of your programme, an approximate cohort size, and one line on what the programme does.
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