Once a week Silicon Cape will be featuring a member from the community. If you would like your company profiled please fill out the form below. For more information please contact engage@siliconcape.com
Company Name?
Asimmetric
Website?
Describe what your company does in the simplest, most engaging way you can:
Asimmetric is making the Internet better by helping WiFi providers and mobile operators measure and improve their networks’ quality of experience.
Explain your role in the company
CEO. So in a startup that means doing everything from fundraising to dishwashing… 🙂
How does your solution improve your specific industry and why is this relevant to South Africa now?
Providing reliable Internet connectivity is mission critical for every enterprise, hotel and hospital, not to mention ISPs and carriers. But this is surprisingly difficult to do—bad hotel WiFi is practically a cliche. Our proprietary cloud-based analytics (SaaS) coupled with a custom network sensor device is a new way to measure and manage wireless networks that puts user experience and business sense first. The Internet is humanity’s most powerful tool—when it works. We’re trying to make it better.
What are some of the other interesting companies you’ve worked for, jobs you’ve had before you started what you are doing now?
I spent seven years at Accenture, the global consulting firm, and Delta Partners, the leading telecoms-focused management consulting company in emerging markets. At Delta Partners, I worked with C-level telecoms executives on corporate and network strategy at companies like as STC, Telkom, Cell C, and others in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. Before that I worked for a couple of years at a startup life insurance firm as a software developer until soon after the startup was acquired.
What other businesses/projects are you involved in?
I spend a lot of time travelling and watching movies—well I used to before founding a startup. I love data and design. in 2015, Phaidon published a map I created with South African census data in the best seller “Map: Exploring the World”.
Why have you chosen Cape Town, compared to somewhere else in the world, to launch this business?
We had access to some great developers in Cape Town.
What are your views on the tech eco-system in South Africa currently?
Complicated.
What do you love about technology and why?
Its disruptive ability across industry verticals and scalability.
Name some of challenges you are facing with your company now?
Only 24 hours in a day—we’re trying to do so much with very few resources. That and recruiting great people.
What’s your vision for your company in the next 6 months?
To close some major deals, release the next version of our product.
How can the Silicon Cape community help you?
We can always do with being connected to potential employees (network/software engineers).
Would you like to contribute guidance / tips / thought leadership about specific topics on the Silicon Cape Blog?
Happy to talk about our perspective on SF/Silicon Valley vs Cape Town etc.
What’s your best advice for fellow entrepreneurs?
To quote Richard Feynman: “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool.” Be realistic: does anyone want your product? Is it a big enough market? Will you be able to create value AND capture value…? It takes courage to be honest with yourself when people are watching.
Quickies:
What is the one app you can’t live without?
Mail.
Favourite place to work from?
Our office in the Foreshore. Awesome view.
How do people get hold of you?
Website: www.asimmetric.com
Twitter: @daviddbwilson
E-mail: David Wilson – daviddbwilson@gmail.com
Linkedlin: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=5425992