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Wills & Trust, a South African LegalTech company developing AI-powered software for drafting wills and estate planning, has closed an angel investment round.
The round closed on 1 October 2026, but the company did not disclose the name of the investor or the amount raised as part of this angel round.
“Most South Africans still don’t have a will, often because the process feels expensive, slow or intimidating,” said Muhammad Khan, founder and CEO of Wills & Trust.
The funding arrives against a stark backdrop. According to the 2025 Sanlam Legacy Wills Survey, only 34% of South African adults have a will, a drop from 39% the previous year. In other words, roughly two in every three adults lack an estate plan. Without a will, South African law requires the deceased estate to be distributed under the Intestate Succession Act rather than according to the deceased’s wishes.
Enforcing the Intestate Succession Act when there is no will leaves families facing prolonged, expensive delays in winding up an estate, with loved ones potentially receiving less than intended. For parents of young children, a will also acts as the document where guardians and testamentary trusts are formally set out.
Wills & Trust, founded by Khan and headquartered at Prince’s Grant Golf Estate in Stanger, KwaZulu-Natal, is building AI-powered software to remove those barriers. Its platform uses AI to walk users through will drafting and estate planning in plain language, converting their answers into a clear, well-structured legal document. Its platform covers family trusts, deceased estate administration, Shari’ah-compliant wills, business succession planning, and digital asset planning, including cryptocurrency.
While drafting a will solves the first hurdle, the Wills Act requires that a will must be in writing, signed on every page, and witnessed by two people. As a result, a will prepared online must still be printed, signed and witnessed to carry legal weight. A poorly worded clause can generate disputes down the line. Wills & Trust says its platform is making the first step easier, allowing more people to get started with the process of drafting a will and see it through to completion.
“This investment lets us bring a product to market that makes will drafting and estate planning simpler and more accessible. Planning for your family’s future shouldn’t be something people keep putting off. We’re grateful to have an investor who believes in what we’re building, and we’re focused on getting the product into people’s hands,” Khan added.
With funding secured, Wills and Trust aims to make estate planning faster, affordable, and straightforward for South African individuals and families. The company says it will share further details about the platform’s availability and pricing in the coming weeks.
