Trust Factory
TrustFactory is a South Africa-based Certificate Authority that issues WebTrust-, AATL-, and SAAA-accredited digital certificates and Advanced Electronic Signatures for individuals, organizations, government, and ISVs via direct, reseller, and DocuSign channels.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersJohannesburg, South Africa
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Trust Factory does
TrustFactory (Pty) Ltd is a South Africa-based Certificate Authority founded in 2017 (with underlying PKI technology dating to 2002) that issues digital certificates and provides electronic signature solutions built on Public Key Infrastructure. Its core product line comprises PersonalPass for individual email security and document signing, PersonalPass Premium — SAAA-accredited as a qualified Advanced Electronic Signature under the South African ECT Act — and OrganizationPass for organizations and bulk-signing platforms, complemented by an on-premise PKI software suite (current release v3.1) and Custom PKI services. TrustFactory is the first BR SSL-certified Certificate Authority on the African continent (WebTrust, 2018), with roots embedded in the Microsoft Root Certificate Store and the Adobe Approved Trust List, and integrates with CumuloKey for cloud-based key storage and with Apposite/DocuSign for AES distribution within global e-signature workflows.
The company generates revenue through a hybrid of one-time/perpetual certificate licensing (individual and organization certificates with annual validity, unlimited reissues and rekeys) and subscription-based Custom PKI solutions, with pricing not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market combines direct-to-consumer self-service via portal.trustfactory.net, a reseller/partner program with wholesale pricing and commissions, and OEM/embedded distribution through signature-software platforms. Customer segments span individuals, organizations, government entities, and ISVs/developers, with historical references to South African government TrustCenter deployments and biometric PKI-based pension payouts. The company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, and no reported headcount, operating from a single headquarters in Rosebank, Johannesburg.
Trust Factory firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Trust Factory
- Legal name
- TrustFactory (Pty) Ltd
- Website
- https://trustfactory.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- TrustFactory is a South Africa-based Certificate Authority that issues WebTrust-, AATL-, and SAAA-accredited digital certificates and Advanced Electronic Signatures for individuals, organizations, government, and ISVs via direct, reseller, and DocuSign channels.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Trust Factory industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Key Infrastructure / Digital Certificates
- akta.pro primary industry
- Device Identity & Certificate-Based Authentication (PKI) (BPAMAEAL)
Keywords
Where Trust Factory is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Johannesburg
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
Trust Factory business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Digital Certificate Sales: TrustFactory generates revenue through the sale of digital certificates including Personal Pass (individual email/document signing), Personal Pass Premium (Advanced Electronic Signature), Organization Pass (for signature software platforms and bulk signing), and SSL certificates. Revenue is generated through one-time purchases and potentially renewal fees.
- Custom PKI Solutions: TrustFactory provides custom PKI solutions for organizations with specific security requirements, including government, enterprise, and small business needs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Annual | PersonalPass - Individual certificate for email security and document signing |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Trust Factory product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Trust Factory is a South African company that provides Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) services, digital certificates, and electronic signature solutions. Its offerings span consumer-facing digital certificates (PersonalPass) and organization-level PKI deployments (OrganizationPass, Custom PKI) for verifying digital identities and signing documents.
Product overview
Trust Factory is a digital certificate provider offering a portfolio of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) solutions. The core offerings include PersonalPass (individual certificates for email security and document signing), PersonalPass Premium (SAAA-accredited Advanced Electronic Signature certificates), OrganizationPass (organization-level certificates for bulk signing), and Custom PKI solutions for enterprise needs. All certificates support SHA-2 and 2048-bit encryption with private keys stored on NIST FIPS 140-2 Level 2 compliant tokens. The company also provides an on-premise PKI software solution (TrustFactory PKI v3.1) and partners with CumuloKey for cloud token services. Document signing and certificate comparison tools round out the product suite.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- PersonalPass
Companies that use Trust Factory
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Trust Factory technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Trust Factory partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- AppositecoreTrustFactory, in partnership with Apposite, made Advanced Electronic Signatures (AES) available through the DocuSign platform, enabling users to apply legally binding electronic signatures using TrustFactory's SAAA-accredited certificates within the DocuSign workflow.
- CumuloKeycoreTrustFactory and CumuloKey partnered to provide Trust Service Provider (TSP) Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), offering cloud-based token storage and key management services for digital certificate holders. CumuloKey provides the cloud token infrastructure while TrustFactory provides the PKI and certificate services.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Trust Factory competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- DigiCert: World's largest commercial Certificate Authority offering SSL/TLS, client, and code signing certificates. Directly comparable to TrustFactory as a public CA issuing WebTrust-certified digital certificates, with materially greater scale, brand, and global trust-list footprint.
- Sectigo: Major commercial CA (formerly Comodo CA) issuing SSL, S/MIME, and document signing certificates with WebTrust accreditation. Closely comparable product set to TrustFactory (SSL, client, organization certificates) at significantly larger scale.
- GlobalSign: Long-established public CA providing SSL, client, and qualified electronic signature certificates with deep PKI expertise. Directly comparable in PKI technology and certificate issuance, with broader geographic coverage.
- Entrust: PKI and digital certificate provider offering SSL/TLS, S/MIME, and document signing certificates alongside identity and authentication solutions. Direct peer in both PKI technology and the document-signing certificate category.
- SSL.com: Smaller but globally distributed commercial CA issuing SSL, client, and code signing certificates. Closely comparable in product mix and WebTrust accreditation, with a similar niche-independent positioning.
- IdenTrust: Identity and CA provider (part of HID Global) issuing digital certificates used in financial and government trust frameworks. Comparable as a WebTrust-accredited CA with emphasis on inter-bank and regulated-industry PKI use cases.
Emerging players
- eMudhra: Digital certificate and electronic signature provider serving emerging markets with qualified e-signature offerings under multiple national regulatory regimes. Comparable in the AES / qualified e-signature niche, especially relevant to TrustFactory's SAAA-accredited product.
Regional players
- Certum (Asseco): Polish-based CA within the Asseco Group offering SSL, S/MIME, and qualified electronic signature certificates primarily in Central and Eastern Europe. Comparable as a non-Western-headquartered public CA operating under regional regulatory frameworks.
Others
- DocuSign: Global leader in electronic signature workflows and a TrustFactory distribution partner via Apposite. Relevant as a platform partner where TrustFactory AES certificates are embedded, and as the dominant downstream demand driver for qualified e-signature certificates.
- Adobe (Adobe Sign / Acrobat Sign): Adobe's document and e-signature platforms validate AATL-member certificates automatically. Relevant as a TrustFactory trust-list partner and as the dominant PDF/e-signature environment that TrustFactory PersonalPass Premium signatures are validated within.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Trust Factory social profiles
Digital presenceTrust Factory compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
Trust Factory financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Trust Factory leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Trust Factory funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Trust Factory M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Trust Factory
What does Trust Factory do?
Trust Factory is a South African company that provides Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) services, digital certificates, and electronic signature solutions. Its offerings span consumer-facing digital certificates (PersonalPass) and organization-level PKI deployments (OrganizationPass, Custom PKI) for verifying digital identities and signing documents.
Is Trust Factory a public or private company?
Trust Factory is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Trust Factory founded?
Trust Factory was founded in 2017.
Where is Trust Factory based?
Trust Factory is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, in the Africa region.
How does Trust Factory make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Digital Certificate Sales are the primary driver. The others are custom PKI Solutions.
Who are Trust Factory's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are DigiCert, Sectigo, GlobalSign, Entrust, SSL.com and IdenTrust. eMudhra is listed as an emerging player. Certum (Asseco) is listed as a regional player. Others are DocuSign and Adobe (Adobe Sign / Acrobat Sign).
Does Trust Factory have an API?
No public API is recorded for Trust Factory.
What industry is Trust Factory in?
Trust Factory's product category is Public Key Infrastructure / Digital Certificates. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAEAL, Device Identity & Certificate-Based Authentication (PKI).