Sting App is helping to digitise the Mauritanian pharmaceutical industry.
Abdullahi Khatri is an energetic and inspiring 24-year-old who graduated from the Kosmos Innovation Center Mauritania program in 2023, after receiving some timely advice from a former teacher. “I discovered the program through a recommendation from a mentor, my teacher at the university, who was one of the winners of the Kosmos Innovation Center program in 2019. My passion for starting my own business comes from some of the great people in the world like Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs – they have inspired me and it is the beginning of my story.”
Abdullahi’s story may begin with these titans of technology, but the inspiration for his own enterprise, Sting App, comes from a little closer to home. “My father was a driver for a pharmaceutical company and I witnessed the challenges he faced in his job. I realized that digitizing the industry would be a turning point. Currently, when a pharmaceutical company has a new product, they use paper and take a car and a driver to go from pharmacy to pharmacy to get orders. Sting App is a digital platform designed to connect suppliers, companies, and pharmacies. Our application allows suppliers to send updated information directly to the pharmacies. This enables them to place orders quickly and efficiently, reducing costs and increasing the speed of delivery.”
With a Bachelor’s degree in engineering helping him to build the platform, Abdullahi hopes that Sting App will have a future not just in Mauritania but worldwide. “We are excited about expanding our service beyond Mauritania and into other countries with similar distribution challenges. We are also looking forward to integrating advanced analytics and AI into the app to further enhance efficiency and accuracy. These developments will help us better serve our clients and stay at the forefront of technological innovation in the pharmaceutical distribution sector. That’s our hope!”
From the simple idea Abdullahi had when he watched his father delivering stacks of papers to pharmacies, the Sting App team has now grown to four members and won funding from the Kosmos Innovation Center. Responsibilities in the team are shared between marketing, developing the app, and a member who is an expert in the pharmaceutical sector. Abdullahi says the key challenge they face now is something many new businesses struggle with: gaining trust within their chosen industry. “Our idea is new, and the industry has worked the same way for a long time. We do what we can, for instance, we have a video that we share with pharmacies explaining how Sting App can save them time and make the industry more efficient – but there is resistance. So, we give them three months and tell them to experiment with it and see for themselves how it can improve their business.”
It’s not just the Sting App that Abdullahi has high hopes for – he also believes the Kosmos Innovation Center program can help inspire an entire generation of would-be entrepreneurs. “Mauritania is a young country,” he explains. “So, for the Kosmos Innovation Center program, it’s an opportunity for these young people to improve and achieve their goals. What surprised me most about the program was the level of personalized attention and mentorship we received. I expected valuable resources and networking opportunities, but the hands-on support and tailored guidance exceeded my expectations. The program was more immersive and interactive than I thought.”
This hands-on support has proved to be an ongoing boon for the company as they face the inevitable entrepreneurial challenges that any new company encounters. “When we have issues, we just call our coaches, and they give us feedback on how to deal with it. They have a lot of experience and give us the motivation to keep going. I highly recommend taking full advantage of the mentorship and networking opportunities the Kosmos Innovation Center program offers. Prepare with a clear vision of your business and be ready to actively engage with the resources provided. The program is most beneficial when you are proactive and open to learning and adapting.”