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RAMPing it to Success

Wilter du Toit

Co-founder and CEO, Virtual Mobile Technologies

The guts to get going

Wilter du Toit, co-founder and CEO of Virtual Mobile Technologies, is young, bright and adventurous, and has shown that he’s got what all entrepreneurs must have to enjoy success – guts.
Wilter has always put his ideas first, choosing to mark his success, not by what others think, but rather by what the bottom line reads. “The economy is always right,” Wilter says. “I wanted the economy to be the judge of my business models and not individuals with their own assumptions."

Out of the blocks

After graduating from university, Wilter got off to a flying start, co-founding the hugely successful telecommunications company Yeigo. The company offered VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) as a service, slashing the costs of phone calls.
Despite Yeigo’s success, Wilter proved his sense of adventure as an entrepreneur, heading in a new direction in 2007. Working with his brother Arno, Wilter co-founded Virtual Mobile Technologies in Cape Town, a company that he now serves as CEO at.

Running with the success

Virtual Mobile Technologies is the vendor of Ramp, a mobile enterprise solution that allows companies to bring mobility to their business processes across all the mobile technologies, ranging from the most advanced, top-of-the-range smart phone, to even the most basic cellphones available.

This allows companies to realize the return on investment that mobility offers without having to deal with all the complexity and risk involved in deploying a comprehensive mobile solution.

Ramp keeps companies relevant on all mobile devices, regardless of changing technology.

Wilter has been recognised as a leader and innovator in his field, with both him and his brother Arno enjoying international acclaim for their efforts, building on his reputation as an entrepreneur after bagging an award as the Endeavour Entrepreneur in 2007.

Knowing your route

Wilter does, however, confess that he has had to overcome a number of obstacles and that there have been too many failures to count on his road to entrepreneurial success. “It is important to see them as learning opportunities, and to research and adapt your business approach relentlessly,” he says
Our Hero is wise beyond his years after spending the last few years immersed in the game, and advises budding entrepreneurs to look at IT practically and with the numbers in mind. “One needs to constantly think in terms of business models and not products,” Wilter says. “You also need to formally capture your business model, know that it is full of false assumptions and then repeatedly validate your assumptions.”
Wilter also offers others his secret to success by recommending "The Four Steps to the Epiphany" by Steven Gary Blank as an essential read.

Marathon Man

Wilter is committed to doing the legwork behind coming up with a successful business plan and company, but at the time of going to press, our Hero was also busy doing the legwork in preparing for the 2011 Two Oceans Half Marathon, explaining that marathon running isn’t that much different from pacing yourself as an entrepreneur with the end destination always in mind.

Wilter has an honours degree in Business and Computer Science from the University of Cape Town