Indian startups to the rescue during coronavirus outbreak
In India, several states announced the closure of educational institutions, malls, multiplexes. Also, companies asked employees to work from home. And amidst all this, Indian startups seem to have risen to the occasion.
Last week, Sequoia Capital warned its portfolio companies about the possible impact of the coronavirus on businesses. This week, we saw that impact unfold in real-time.
Markets all over the world crashed, hundreds of billions of dollars lost, global events were cancelled, countries went on lockdown, and more.
In India, several states announced the closure of educational institutions, malls, multiplexes. Also, companies asked employees to work from home. And amidst all this, Indian startups seem to have risen to the occasion.
Foodtech unicorns Swiggy and Zomato announced 'contactless' food deliveries to combat the novel coronavirus. Then, edtech startups like BYJU’S, Vedantu, and Toppr stepped in to make sure that students can continue to study from the safety of their homes.
Last but not least, while CureFit had to shut down its centres, it increased the number of online sessions on its app so that users could continue to workout at home.
JLL-backed Qdesq aggregates flexi workspaces
Qdesq counts startups like , and others as customers. It lists 600,000 desks on its booking platform and has grown 4X in a year.
Fundraising for a fund is 10x tougher: Sanjay Nath
Sanjay Nath, extreme right along with Ashish Fafadia and Karthik Reddy, Blume Ventures
Sanjay Nath of Blume Ventures speaks about the difficulties in raising funds as a VC firm and what excites him to come to work every day.
Why 2019 was a blockbuster year for VCs in India
VC funding battled a slowing economy and other macroeconomic concerns to scale new heights in the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem in 2019.
The most well-rounded smartphone of 2020
Credit: Samsung
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus packs quite a punch with the perfect display, smooth usage. Could this be the most well-rounded smartphone of 2020?
The woman who made McDonald's India a household name
Smita Jatia is the Managing Director of Hardcastle Restaurants Pvt Ltd - the master franchisee of McDonald’s in West and South India.
Manoj Sharma's journey to Cleartrip
Manoj Sharma
Manoj Sharma, the CTO of .com, shares his two-decade-long journey in the tech world, and talks about how technology is solving real-world problems.
A perfume brand that started with only Rs 500
Abdulla Ajmal, a third gen entrepreneur at Ajmal Perfume
Started by Haji Ajmal Ali in the 1960s, Ajmal Perfumes now has over 300 products in its portfolio, presence in 36 cities in India, and over 240 retail outlets globally.
Is telemedicine reaching rural India?
In 2019, telemedicine startups raised $178.4 million across 16 deals, 40 percent more than in 2018. But is telemedicine still a far-fetched dream for Bharat?
Quote of the week:
Today’s generation looks at problems deeper and wants to solve them and cares about them. They are looking to solve tough problems.
– Sanjay Nath, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Blume Ventures
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