Anastasia Romanova, MIM-Kyiv MBA 2016 and startup Mosquito Control founder received the Energy Globe Award for its product “Mosqitter”. Besides, Anastasia is now on the list of the “100 Best Known Small Entrepreneurs of Ukraine” 2021. 

The Mosqitter is being successfully sold in the US, Italy, India, Africa, and Thailand. Those are the countries that seriously suffer from insects and insect-borne diseases. Besides, the territory prone to the dangers caused by the insects’ stings is expanding. Anastasia explains that more than 1 million people die annually because of insects’ stings. Chemical repellent has long been the only option against the upsurge. However, chemicals damage the environment and people's health.  

– We decided that we would follow the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) when we were developing the Mosqitter. Our product protects against insect stings outdoors. Sometime ago, only Africa and Asia suffered from the problem. Nowadays, the Americas and Europe are affected as well. Climate change drives the expansion of insects areal into unusual territories.  Countries use chemical poisons to kill wigglers. We decided on a chemical-free solution. We create a limited in space insect-free environment around people without affecting the wider ecosystem, Anastasia explained. 

The Mosqitter is based on mosquito behaviors. It employs the trap of imitating the human being. Female mosquitos need blood to oviposit. They identify the Mosqitter as a human and go there for blood. Thus, the procreation chain is broken and a mosquito-free environment is created. 

The solution that does not generate side effects made the product very popular at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Anastasia and her startup participated in it as a part of the Ukrainian delegation. The Show brought her more than 200 new contracts from all over the world. 

- We supply our patented software that “runs” the hardware. So far we are launching manufacturing in Africa and distributing our product in Thailand and Canada. We also presented our upgraded product and get attention from large corporations that manufacture chemical repellent sprays. They are looking for more sustainable solutions and buy them from startups and incorporate them into their products, - Anastasia said. 

As the company and its operations are growing the knowledge and skills obtained at MIM-Kyiv get more and more useful. Speed is the king for startups that want to scale their business. 

- Everything seems to be about the speed. Due to the MIM-Kyiv’s background, I can set up goals, build up my team, put management processes in place, keep an eye on finances, etc. That helps to grow quickly and rely on the skills and knowledge as an excellent foundation for new developments. My learning experience especially the real-life cases has proved to be very useful, Anastasia shared her opinion about her MBA studies.

The Mosquito Control is invited to acceleration programs that follow the Global Goals. The project was selected to represent Ukraine at the Dubai Expo closing ceremony this March. Moreover, at the Consumer Electronic Show-2022, the product was recognized as one of 55 breakthrough technologies of the year. 

Anastasia says that the Tesla team and disruption they caused in vehicles are the best inspiration for her. They hope that their Mosqitter will help fight diseases and reduce the use of chemicals in agriculture.

 Energy Globe Award was founded in 1999 in Austria by Wolfgang Neumann to promote sustainability ideas. Nowadays, entrepreneurs from 180 countries participate in the Energy Globe Award.