After attending school and working in the banking industry in London, Furquan Kidwai returned to his native Pakistan and founded Dawaai, a pharmacy retailer that provides same-day delivery services in 17 Pakistani cities…and counting. Pakistan’s 200+ million citizens are underserved in many areas of life, including obtaining quality medicine in a timely fashion. With a low-margin, high-volume strategy, Dawaai is helping bring authentic, affordable medicine to the masses.
In my conversation with Furquan, you’ll learn about the pain points that led him to create Dawaai, the business environment in Pakistan, how payment systems are maturing, and about the regulated pharmaceutical environment in Pakistan. Furquan also discusses plans for future growth and gives advice to entrepreneurs wishing to enter the market in Pakistan.
In today’s episode you’ll learn:
- About Furquan’s background
- About Pakistan’s macro economy
- About the challenges of healthcare in Pakistan
- About payment systems in Pakistan
- About pharmaceutical regulations in Pakistan
- Who are Dawaai’s investors
- Furquan’s advice for entrepreneurs in Pakistan
Listen to this episode on iTunes
What was your biggest insight from this week’s episode? Let Jay know in the comments or on Twitter: @jaykimmer.
LINKS FROM TODAY’S EPISODE
- Read the full transcript from Furquan’s interview
- dawaai.pk
- Find Furquan on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn
DETAILED SHOW NOTES(00:43) Introduction to Furquan Kidwai
- (00:43) Introduction to Furquan Kidwai
- (1:19) Furquan’s self-introduction and background
- (3:00) Furquan’s first startup
- (4:24) Reasons for starting Dawaai
- (7:53) Pharmacy regulation in Pakistan
- (9:05) Pakistan’s overall economy and infrastructure
- (11:45) Payment culture in Pakistan
- (13:37) Early investors in Dawaai and its current corporate structure
- (16:58) Dawaai’s business model
- (19:08) Regulatory challenges and business partnerships
- (21:46) The customer experience
- (25:10) More about the business model
- (27:07) 500 Startups and other investors
- (28:58) Future plans
- (31:43) Advice for entrepreneurs in Pakistan
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