wiGroup processed half a billion rands' worth of mobile transactions in the first five months of 2013, says CEO Bevan Ducasse. This is a critical mass, in a mobile transaction landscape that tends to be dominated by shooting stars that fade as quickly as they burst onto centre stage.
The company's systems are available at every till point in two of the country's biggest FMCG retailers, one of the largest fuel companies and a host of the large fast food chains. It employs 40 people, issues over half a million mobile vouchers a month and has grown by over 400% in 12 months in volume, revenue and profits.
"Our vision statement says we exist to simplify and add value to people's lives through mobile transacting and we strive to walk the talk," says Ducasse, who started the company in 2007, with Basie Kok a former Stellenbosch University classmate. "We're all passionate about what we do."
He attributes its success so far to two things, "Sticking to our vision of adding value and building an exceptional team.
"The goal of making a difference, developing a platform and adding convenience and value to the way people transact is what motivates us and inspires us to innovate, work hard and keep building technology that leads the market.
"This model also allowed us to keep the team and business lean and be patient while the market was learning about the potential of our technology. No amount of money would have assisted us in fast tracking the market to adopt mobile transacting and understand our platform and it was therefore this vision that kept us at it."
The quality of the team is the second major factor in its success. "We have an incredible group of likeminded but unique people who are passionate about making a difference and love what we do. I look for people who inspire others, then I feel it's my role to help them unlock their potential in whatever area of the business they may be in. Energy breeds energy."
Maintaining this entrepreneurial culture has sometimes meant fighting hard for the company's identity. "There was a lot of pressure for us to get pulled into a more corporate environment, for example by moving into other company offices. However, while corporate have much strength; they can also be slow and bureaucratic. It is almost impossible to avoid and therefore we made every effort to nurture our culture. We need an inspiring place to come back to, where we can get excited by the vision again."
