Client Background

A pan-African fintech initiative launched to bridge the $330B SME funding gap across emerging markets. Tinna partners with 50+ microfinance institutions, angel investor networks, and FMCG suppliers to empower small businesses—from Nairobi market stalls to Lagos tech hubs—with seamless access to capital and supply chain efficiency.

The Challenge

82% of African SMEs lack collateral for traditional loans, while 68% face stockouts due to manual inventory tracking. Investors hesitate to fund businesses without real-time financial visibility, and suppliers waste 22% of delivery costs on inaccurate restocking orders.

Our Approach

We built Tinna as a financial nervous system for SMEs, integrating AI-driven credit scoring, IoT inventory tracking, and automated repayment flows. The app turns real-time sales data into a "digital collateral" engine while creating a B2B marketplace for suppliers.

Key Features

• CashFlow Catalyst: AI underwrites loans in 8 minutes using alternative data (MPesa transactions, customer foot traffic).
• Smart Ledger: Auto-shares daily sales, expenses, and inventory levels with lenders via blockchain-secured dashboards.
• Inventory Pulse: IoT weight sensors or camera-based stock tracking alerts suppliers when products hit reorder thresholds.
• Auto-Repay: Deducts loan installments daily/weekly based on real-time revenue, avoiding cash crunches.
• Supplier Bazaar: Negotiate bulk pricing with verified vendors when restocking through Tinna’s aggregated demand pool.

Technical Breakthroughs

• Alternate Credit Scoring: Predicted repayment capacity with 89% accuracy using mobile money history and social commerce reviews.
• Offline Sync: Record sales and inventory via USSD or SMS, syncing to the cloud when connectivity resumes.
• IoT Lite: $5 camera rigs convert basic smartphones into AI stock counters using TensorFlow Lite edge models.
• Fraud Firewall: Detected 540+ loan application frauds via WhatsApp Business message cross-referencing.

Impact

• 63% faster loan approvals vs. traditional banks (8 min vs. 21 days).
• 44% reduction in stockouts for retailers using Inventory Pulse.
• 92% on-time repayment rate via revenue-linked Auto-Repay.
• Partner suppliers cut delivery costs by 31% through route optimization.

Client Testimonial

“Tinna transformed our pharmacy. We got a loan during malaria season, restocked pills automatically, and repaid as sales surged—all without leaving the app.”
— Amina D., Nairobi Pharmacy Owner

Client Note

Piloting “Group Guarantee” loans for women’s cooperatives; integrating drone deliveries for rural suppliers in Q1 2025.

Technologies

Hyperledger Fabric, AWS IoT Core, MPesa API, TensorFlow Edge, Twilio SMS Gateway