Edtech's winning streak in 2020; Indian startups continue to solve for COVID-19

COVID-19 has served as an inflexion point for Indian edtech startups. The industry reckons that the pandemic has been to edtech what demonetisation was to fintech in 2016.

Monday August 10, 2020 , 4 min Read

The edtech sector globally hit the hockey stick curve in the pandemic. COVID-19 has served as an inflexion point for Indian edtech startups too. In fact, the industry reckons that the pandemic has been to edtech what demonetisation was to fintech in 2016. Here are some key trends have emerged that are likely to define the future of the sector.

Indian startups continue to innovate to help the country fight the pandemic. Chennai-based Modulus Housing is solving the hospital bed problem and developed a plug-and-play ‘hospital-in-box’ solution, which includes an isolation ward, screening centre, and an intensive care unit, and can be set up in two hours.

Bengaluru-based Integration Wizard’s flagship product IRIS is using deep neural networks to process data from a camera’s video feed to identify people as well as masks and PPE kits in real-time.

Ahmedabad-based security startup Sunbots Innovations has developed Sterilite, a UV-C tower device with a foldable arm, which can be used to disinfect hospitals, dental clinics, offices, hotels, and homes.

Sunbots, Sterilite — *[L to R] Sterilite at 0, 45 and 90 degrees. Credit: Sunbots Innovations LLP*

On India Internet Day, TIE Delhi organised a panel discussion of brands and tech companies to understand how the next billion will access commerce. In a fireside chat with Mohit Bhatnagar, Managing Director of Sequoia Capital India, Doug Leone, Global Managing Partner at Sequoia Capital, called India an attractive market for investment, thanks to the rapid changes in the business landscape, where greater emphasis is being placed now on product engineering and research and development (R&D), as compared to that on engineering services 20 years ago.

Sequoia Capital, Doug Leone, Douglas Leone — *Sequoia Capital Global Managing Director Doug Leone (Image credit: Sequoia)*

At the same event, in the keynote session, Zoom Founder and CEO Eric Yuan told Sequoia India Managing Director Rajan Anandan that India is the company's second-largest market in the world (largest outside the US).

Earlier in the week, Aparna Bawa, COO of Zoom, and Abe Smith, Head of International Markets at Zoom, told YourStory Founder and CEO Shradha Sharma how the company dealt with security challenges and questions about its data privacy policies, while remaining the most talked-about brand amidst the pandemic.

Eric Yuan, Zoom — *Zoom Founder Eric Yuan*

Last but not least, actor-turned-entrepreneur Kunal Kapoor spoke to YS Weekender about his acting career, turning to entrepreneurship with Ketto.org, and what lies ahead.

Quote of the day:

“Frankly, I love dark times. I love really great times and really shitty times. During great times you exit, and during shitty times you enter. I personally am a big buyer during dark times and seller during wonderful times.”