Lockdown and Startups. A match made by the pandemic?

They say, the best ideas are born in the time of crisis. Maybe it’s the lack of opportunity that transcends into a problem-solving idea to further develop into a business model. Wouldn’t you agree if we say hard times test your potential to face the challenge and come out victorious with a beneficial-for-all plan?

It’s September, 6 months since the lockdown, and the virus is still ruling the world. In between economic slowdowns, companies experiencing loses and financial setbacks, there was this one group which boomed and how. Hello, Startup. A few Indian startups are setting a new example for even the most established companies on how to survive the lockdown scenario. Formula being — choosing consumer growth over profitability. Be it the progress of an existing startup or the launch of a new one, the business strategy is centered around consumer behaviour and satisfaction. Sources say that the number of startups has grown from around 7,000 in 2008 to approx 50,000 in 2020. Can you imagine? It’s massive.

During this pandemic, each state had its own issue. To resolve those, Indians found solution in tech-enabled innovations and shaped that solution into a startup. Easy? No, insightful. Here’s how it all worked out.

E-Education: Students, especially those with scheduled exams, suffered the most. With schools being shut, there was no way to put students’ future at stake. Well then, here comes the concept of e-learning. The idea to teach & learn from home. The best examples being Byju’s, Vedantu, Toppr and many more who have witnessed a great traffic in the lockdown period.

E-Medical: Medicines and healthcare equipments, there’s no way one would compromise on these. Though the chemists were functioning, the thought of getting infected would hold one back from stepping out. Guess what, within no time, we were introduced to online pharmacies who would provide contactless home-delivery of medicines. PharmEasy, 1mg, MedLife are some of the leading providers.

E-Essentials: With time constraints and limitations on the grocery stores and markets, life had turned upside down. In between long queues and following social distancing protocols, shopping for basic essentials had become a task. Guess who was at our rescue? Yes, the new E-Essentials services. They ensured safety, timely delivery and of course, great offers. Online grocers like bigbasket and Grofers saw the biggest hike in daily deliveries.

Let’s see what these adverse times have in store for us. We are sure big ideas will be shaped into a business which will be designed to simplify life and stay even after the end of this pandemic.