The Mauritania Innovation Challenge 2025 was officially launched on Sunday, 17 August, signalling another step forward in the country’s entrepreneurial drive and further showcasing Kosmos Innovation Center’s continued support for employment in Mauritania.
Since applications opened in June, the programme attracted an incredible 359 entries, with 112 shortlisted for interviews. Around 70% were at the market validation stage and 30% were already operational. Submissions spanned sectors from agriculture and food to fintech, textiles, education, logistics, energy, and tourism.
After four days of assessments, 16 finalists were selected. Among the many eye-catching ventures were Digital-Mining, founded by two women engineers, which uses AI to digitise and analyse data for the mining sector; Etayrim, which reinvents Mauritanian tea culture by packaging it in capsules and sachets; Khidme, a mobile platform linking households with trusted electricians, plumbers and other service providers; Maurivert, which transforms livestock waste into high-quality organic compost; and Ticketat, a hybrid ticketing and event management platform that issues digital passes via QR code or SMS.
Organisers described the 2025 cohort as one of the most diverse to date, showcasing both Mauritania’s economic breadth and its entrepreneurial energy. The challenge provides startups with mentoring, networking, and access to investors, with the aim of helping young companies scale into sustainable businesses.
The programme will now move into its next phase as the finalists compete for support packages to accelerate their ventures. You can look for future profiles of the businesses exclusively on Kosmos Innovation Center’s website and social media.
Find out more about Mauritania’s commitment to entrepreneurs here.
