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Tag: lockdown

  • Try these Zoom Settings to Protect Your Privacy and Avoid Zoombombing Trolls

    Zoom, a cloud-based meeting platform, is making into headlines almost everyday. The video-conferencing software has been gaining attention from researchers and journalists lately for a number of potential privacy and security issues. The use of the platform has seen a boom in usage due to increase in coronavirus related remote working. One of the biggest security issues facing Zoom is the increase in “Zoombombing” when uninvited attendees break into and disrupt your meeting.

    Zoom is huge these days. The cloud-based meeting platform lets you arrange virtual conferences with video, audio and screen-sharing options. It is a great way to continue conducting business when so many people have to work from home. Ever since rising into popularity, Zoom found itself bombarded by reports of privacy and security issues.

    In the wake of COVID-19, people have rushed to the video chat platform due to stay-at-home orders and lockdown. People are massively using Zoom app as their employer or school requires it and to stay in touch with friends and family. But journalists, researchers and regulators have noticed its many security and privacy problems. Zoom will have to follow its security and privacy promises if it wants to regain users’ trust.

    Government of India has also released the notice eventually regarding controversy-ridden video conferencing platform Zoom. The Ministry of Home Affairs on April 16, put out a detailed two-page long advisory for Zoom users in India and stated that the video conferencing platform Zoom is unsafe. They have also urged people to protect their virtual meetings from Zoombombing phenomenon where pranksters join Zoom calls and broadcast porn or shock videos.

    Zoom has had a rough few weeks. These further led many to quit the platform and cyber security experts to issue advisories. Thankfully, Zoom itself appeared to take matters seriously, roping in key cyber security faces such as ex-Facebook security head Alex Stamos, and more recently Katie Moussouris of the Pentagon bug bounty fame.

    What are Steps being taken by Zoom?

    Zoom is clearly responding quickly to the issues that have been raised. There are still more issues to address and improvements required, but 20 days after Zoom CEO Eric S. Yuan promised changes, we’re now starting to see exactly how Zoom is responding.

    Zoom has released a new Zoom 5.0 update designed to address some of the many complaints that Zoom has faced in recent weeks. With this new update, there’s now a security icon that offers a number of Zoom’s security features. It can be to quickly lock meetings, remove participants, and restrict screen sharing and chatting in meetings.

    Zoom is also now enabling passwords by default for most customers. IT admins can now define the password complexity for Zoom business users. Zoom’s waiting room feature is also now on by default for basic, single-license Pro and education accounts. This feature allows a host to hold participants in a virtual room before they’re allowed into a meeting.

    Zoom is also improving some of its encryption and upgrading to the AES 256-bit GCM encryption standard. It is an improvement for the transmission of meeting data. Business customers can also control which data center regions will handle meeting traffic for their Zoom meetings after concerns were raised that some meetings were being routed through servers in China.

    Read More: Alternatives to Zoom App while Working Remotely

    Steps to be Followed

    After all of these improvements from Zoom, there are certain steps which one needs to follow to ensure privacy and safety from user’s end. In the meantime, one must take these steps to increase the Zoom privacy settings and protect meetings from Zoombombing trolls.

    Change your background

    The space you’re in during a call can expose a lot of information about where you live, your habits, and your hobbies. One can set a virtual background like beach, outer space or anywhere else you can imagine by customizing your background while on Zoom calls.

    One can set a virtual background by following the below steps. For this,  go to Settings > Virtual Background and select or upload the image you want from there. However, you do have to make sure that your system meets all of the requirements to do so.

    Zoom Virtual Background
    One must Set Virtual Background Image

    Make Sure Chat Auto-Saving Is Off

    Zoom has a feature that saves the chat automatically. One must check if Auto saving is ON or OFF. In your Zoom account settings, under In Meeting, make sure Auto saving chats is toggled off to the left.

    Mute your Audio and Turn off your Camera by default

    In most of the meetings, not everyone needs to have their camera ON. While scheduling a meeting, host can mute audio and camera buttons by default. To do it, go to Settings > Audio > Mute microphone when joining a meeting, and then Settings > Video > Turn off my video when joining or hosting a meeting.

    Lock Down Screen Sharing

    In your Zoom account settings under In Meeting (Basic), set Screen sharing to Host Only. This means, when you are hosting a meeting, only you(host) can share their screen. No other meeting participants will be able to share their screen.

    Depending on the calls you plan to host, you can also turn screen sharing off entirely by toggling it off to the left.

    Make Sure Attention Tracking is Off

    In your Zoom account settings under In Meeting (Advanced), make sure Attention tracking is toggled off to the left. The attention tracking setting toggled off to the left

    Keep the Meeting ID Private

    One of the reasons why privacy issues arose is that many people posted the meeting link on their social media groups. Thus, whenever possible, do not post the link to your meeting or the meeting ID publicly. Send it directly to trusted people and groups instead.

    After Zoom’s most recent update, meeting passwords are now on by default for free Basic and single licensed Pro accounts as well as education accounts. But Zoom passwords can behave in unexpected ways. If you use the “Copy Invitation” functionality to copy the meeting link and send it to your participants, that link might include your meeting password.

    If you send the meeting link directly to trusted participants, having the password included in the link will be no problem. But if you post the meeting link in a Facebook group, on Twitter or in another public space, then it means the password itself will also be public. So while copying the invitation link, passwords must be deleted to have privacy. It advisable to set a password and inspect the Meeting Link carefully before sending the link.

    To find the password settings, go to your Zoom account settings under Schedule Meeting. Make sure Require a password when scheduling new meetings is toggled on to the right. You’ll find additional password options in this area of the settings as well.

    Use Waiting Rooms to Approve Participants

    This is the best way to monitor who joins the meeting. After Zoom’s most recent update, waiting rooms are now enabled by default. A waiting room allows hosts to screen new participants before letting them join which can help prevent disruptions or unexpected participants.

    To find this setting, go to your Zoom account settings > In Meeting (Advanced). Make sure Waiting room is toggled on to the right.

    Also Read: Best Webinar Platforms

    Lock the Meeting

    Last but not the least, this feature has to be used. When everyone has joined the meeting and all your expected participants have arrived, you can lock the meeting to prevent anyone else from joining. For this, at the bottom of the Zoom window, click Participants and select Lock Meeting.

  • Google India launches ‘YouTube Learning Destination’ to Teach Students From Home

    Students and instructors are bound to stay home due to lockdown imposed because of COVID-19. All the schools, colleges and institutes are ordered to remain closed during this lockdown. The closures of schools and colleges has led to the disruption of classes. It also affects the earning calendar of many educational institutions. To the rescue, YouTube India has added content to give students informative time during the lockdown.

    Many school and college students have started learning from various online learning platforms. Many teachers are conducting online lectures for students through video conferencing apps. Many students are also subscribing to the carious online courses so that there is no disruption in their studies.

    Today, as almost 91% of the students are out of school across the world, edtech startups across the world are gearing up to make up for the lost education. A similar trend can be noticed in India, where the current lockdown is forcing students to for apps designed by the edtech startups.

    Many Edtech platforms in India have been noting a hike in its user. Most of the users engagement across platforms is for test prep and skill development and more. For instance, BYJU’s, an online Indian edtech platform, has noted a 150% surge with 6 Million new students.

    YouTube India to provide Free Learning Content

    In order to help students and teachers to learn better online, Google-owned video platform YouTube India has launched a learning destination YouTube Learning Destination which will showcase useful and high quality learning content by education-focused creators on YouTube. The platform will assist students, parents and educators in finding relevant and high quality learning content on YouTube.

    YouTube India has launched YouTube Learning Destination to provide curriculum learning for students and also support general skill-building for students. YouTube Learning provides resources that offer learning based on the curriculum of students so that there are interruptions in continuing education in lockdown also. It is useful to students that need to keep their academic needs and opted to learn online.

    The YouTube Learning Destination is a separate section within the YouTube app itself. This section combines learning content from education-focused creators. In a blog post, Google India highlighted that section will contain various resources that fulfill all learning needs, including curriculum-relevant topics in Physics, Math and Biology, Chemistry and so on.

    Google India’s blog added ,“So whether a student is studying for a test or wants to learn a new skill, or are just curious about the world, the YouTube Learning Destination is a handy resource to provide overall curriculum learning for students or general skill-building.”

    Google also added items related to creativity, such as photography and arts. Most of them are skills that students want to enhance. These added features occurred to help students use their time at home. Students can hone their skills and discover new learning through this added feature.

    Besides this, the platform will also include study hacks, tactics and content for developing language skills and interest-based content like photography, yoga, culinary skills and many more. The platform is currently available in English and Hindi. However, YouTube is also looking to add content from other Indian local languages like Marathi, Tamil, Bengali and Telugu among others.

    Also Read: List of EdTech Startups in India | Emerging Education Startups

    Google also offers Premium Features of G-Suite

    Meanwhile, Google is also looking to bring more schools on board and promote remote education. Besides this, Google is also providing free access to the premium features of Google Meet to extend its video-conferencing capabilities to all G Suite.

    It has extended premium features of G Suite for education customers, across the world, until September 2020. It allows students and educators to conduct video conferences up to September 2020. The premium version can host up to 250 participants in a single video conference. This method gives excellent help to educators who struggle with their students’ needs.

    Google India aggregates edtech content
    Google India offers Free Services to promote ‘Teach from Home’

    To help teachers transition to remote learning in India, Google has partnered with FICCI Arise. Google has trained more than 250 schools across 23 states in India, where the tools are being used. Besides this, Google is also providing training and tips through the ‘Teach from Home’ hub. The platform is also available in Hindi, along with Chinese, Japanese, Turkish and more languages.

    The ‘Teach from Home’ hub would also answer queries like “setting up and teaching with and without video, keeping students engaged with discussions and virtual whiteboards, staying in touch with other teachers by sharing teaching resources and even making the teaching sessions accessible to children with special needs by implementing voice typing and closed captions.”

    Teacher approved Applications

    Apart from this, Google has also launched a teacher-approved kids section in the Play Store. It existed to ensure the safety of kids who use several applications. It also assures that the contents are appropriate to the users. It is because the apps approved by teachers also give assurance to parents their kids are learning appropriate content. It is also a great validation to prove that children may consume them.

    The company also released books that help children learn with entertainment. This way, children can educate themselves even in a lockdown situation. The company makes sure that the kids will only take in useful information. This resource has been built with UNESCO as central resource for teachers.

    Also Read: Notebook – An Edtech Company that is Making Learning Engaging and Fun

    The kids’ section came out early from its supposed release late this year. The primary reason for its earlier launching is because of the ongoing pandemic. This action took place to provide education to kids in the middle of this testing time. Even the children’s books from MoHFW and Chota Bheem reading app Bolo will also help kids understand the measures which are to be followed during this Corona lock down period.

  • The Impact of Lockdown Extension on Electric Vehicle(EV) Market

    Since March 24, 2020, the novel coronavirus pandemic has put brakes on India’s manufacturing industries due to the 21-days complete lockdown across the nation. The coronavirus outbreak is having an unanticipated impact on every sector due to disruption in the supply chain and production. Many sectors like Electric Vehicle(EV) Market had planned things once the lockdown would be over.

    This week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of lockdown till May 3, 2020. As the extension was announced, things have begun to look sceptical for various companies across industries. Due to lockdown, the manufacturing and mobility services economy has collapsed but there is still a ray of hope for the electric vehicle market in India. EV market is less impacted since the EVs do not have a large audience as compared to the traditional auto industry in India but still it’s going to affect this sector.

    The lockdown has forced the people to avoid travel which has consequently hampered people’s appetite for new purchases. Especially costly ones such as a new car. This has resulted into great loss in electric vehicle industry. This impact is going to last for months even after the virus is contained.

    At the same time, due to the extension of lockdown, the electric vehicle owners might expect service issues post lockdown and might even have to arrange the charge and discharge of their vehicles. The same goes for petrol and diesel vehicles as well for their lead-acid starter batteries. So, the problems will be on both ends.

    At the same time, due to the extension of lockdown, the electric vehicle owners also might expect service issues post lockdown and might even have to arrange the charge and discharge of their vehicles themselves. The same goes for traditional petrol and diesel vehicles as well for their lead-acid starter batteries. Many industry experts suggested that the government should use this extended lockdown period to create an exit plan.

    SMEV says Lockdown Extension is the Right Move

    Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV) – the registered association representing Indian manufacturers of electric vehicle & its components, said that extension of the lockdown is the right move taken by government. Yet, there will be certainly an adverse impact on the operations of its members for the next 1-2 months.

    SMEV Director General – Sohinder Gill describing the situation as a testing time for the whole EV industry. He also said that it is also time for its members to conserve cash, take care of workmen and utilise this time to plan ahead once the lockdown is over. Even though extension of lockdown is going to affect EV market and startups, Gill has expressed confidence that the EV industry will be able to spring back into action to recover the losses due to this shutdown.

    Sohinder Gill said in a statement, “Looking at the current situation in the country, the extension of the lockdown is the right move. Though there will be certainly an adverse impact on the operations for the next 1-2 months, I believe that we will be able to save lives of thousands and emerge as a healthier nation. I appeal to all the stakeholders in EV companies to conserve cash, take care of our workmen and utilize this time to plan ahead.”

    Most of the Indian electric vehicle (EV) industries are dependent on China for import of cells, battery and other electronic components and sensors used in electric vehicles.The EV companies & startups had initially started feeling the heat when coronavirus broke out in China and they faced component shortages. Now China is reportedly getting back into action, but manufacturing in India is still under lockdown.

    What Experts have to Say about this?

    Co-founder, CEO, Ather Energy – Tarun Mehta, “The lockdown has certainly disrupted the local supply chains and manufacturing. While demand will come down across all categories, EVs have a smaller audience in India and the impact may be lower than conventional automobile industry. The products and manufacturing aside, financing options for consumers will take precedence to enable new sales in the coming months.”

    Recently, research firm Wood Mackenzie has released a report where it predicted a 43 % contraction in the global EV industry by the end of 2020. The EV sector had just building up some serious momentum but the crisis couldn’t have come at a worse time. The big hope now is that government plans will continue to push for more electrification of the transportation sector. According to sources, sales of electric vehicles in 2019 had topped with 2.2 million sales but now this number is expected to drop by 43% to 1.3 million by the end of 2020.

    Vikrant K Aggarwal, director at EVI Technologies, also said that the entire auto sector is currently witnessing a 10% slowdown in sales. It has affected the electric vehicle industry the most as its compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is bound to suffer due to slow down in new bookings. Since the market size of electric vehicle in India is very small and thus just 1% of the total motorized vehicles run in India. Hence, EVs sector’s growth require constant nurturing.

    Sharing the ground reality of the industry, managing director at Magenta Power – Maxson Lewis said that the demand for electric vehicles is linked to overall auto demand which has been and will continue to be impacted for months. This will push the electric vehicle business investments plans out by months. Further, Lewis said that possibly this extended lockdown could also mean that traditional auto may look towards electric vehicles as the reset plan.

    Also Read: 12 Founders Shared Opinions on Strategies to Fight with Situation if the Lockdown Continues

    Impact on EV Sector of Other Countries

    The effect of the outbreak on the world’s biggest EV market -China, are already visible. Electric car sales there fell by 54% by the end of January when the epidemic really took off in the country. February sales figures are expected to be even worse, with a decline of 90%. EV sales in Europe was really an impressive that increased up by 121% on the year in January. Then, due to coronavirus outbreak, it put brakes on this.

    Electric Vehicles may rise in demand after COVI-19
    People might turn to EVs after the Pandemic

    By now, it should be clear to everyone that the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic is killing both the energy and transportation industries all over the world. Now, three months after the COVID-19 originated, China is slowly restarting its economy despite a second wave of infections knocking on its door. Europe, the second biggest market for electric cars, is in the impact of the coronavirus and the countries are seeking ways to restore their economies.

    Several Governments are Taking Efforts

    Many governments across the globe have already devised plans to grow the EV market once the pandemic is under control. The electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) market is predicted to witness a 10.7% CAGR during the forecast period 2020-2025 to see an increase in its revenue from $1.5 billion in 2019 to $2.7 billion in 2025.

    Apart from this, the global market is being positively impacted by the increasing sale of electric vehicles. The investments by manufacturers have increased in last 4-5 years and government support for installing such charging stations has also increased. EV battery costs are expected to be nearly halved by 2025. There are several factors that have contributed to this growth and many EV players believe that these factors will eventually lead to the exponential growth of electric vehicles.

    The government of several countries are taking efforts to install EV charging stations. For instance, the South Korean government has targeted the deployment of 10,000 fast chargers by 2022. Similarly, India has plans to install 2,700 charging stations by 2023, in cities with more than 4 million residents. In the same the same way, Canada sanctioned $4.6 million for the installation of 92 DC chargers, while the Californian government has proposed a funding of $900 million for the deployment of 250,000 charging points by 2025.

    Also Read: How Different Sectors will Resume their Operations after Lockdown?

    At present, India is still in the early stages of adoption. According to a report, the electric vehicle adoption rate is less than 1%. However, over the last two years, there has been a significant development in the electric vehicle space in India with both two-wheeler and four-wheeler launches. The government’s target of 30% electric vehicle adoption by 2030 is projected to be powered primarily by electrification of two-wheeler, three-wheeler, and commercial vehicles in India.

  • Steps Taken by Online Food Delivery Startups amid CoronaVirus Outbreak

    The Coronavirus or COVID-19 which started last year in December in Wuhan, China has impacted the global economy and no industry sector has remained immune to it. All businesses, startups and industries across the globe are coming up with safety measures to deal with the virus like asking employees to work from home, avoid social gatherings, etc. Foodtech startups are no exception to this.

    Top Indian food delivery platforms Zomato and Swiggy together deliver an estimated 2.6 million orders every day. But they have taken multiple measures to deal with the situation. These measures ensure the safe food delivery considering the safety of delivery executive as well as consumers. The measures are helping these startups to keep operations going and to reduce any negative impact on consumer deliveries

    Foodtech Startups to Follow Hygiene Practices

    Indian foodtech startups Swiggy and Zomato have announced several safety measures in an effort to combat the novel coronavirus. While the Bengaluru based foodtech unicorn Swiggy already sent an email to all its consumers how they are taking the different measures to cope with the situation. Zomato soon followed suit with safekeeping measures of its own like contact-less delivery.

    The main focus of the announcements is to inform people about different measures that food delivery platforms are taking to ensure that their delivery partners follow all the safety and hygiene guidelines approved by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare(MoHFW). They also announced that the consumer will now have the option of choosing to ask the delivery partner to leave the food at their doorstep. Some startups are also offering insurance and financial support to delivery staff in case they are infected with the virus

    There are certain directives that these startups are following. They ensure that the crew member who assembles the food, the one who packs food and the delivery executive do not touch the food with bare hands and take all possible precautions to ensure hygiene. The delivery packets are sealed and delivered by a runner who drops the order at a pre-appointed spot usually outside the door and then watches from a safe distance while you pick up your order and go back inside.

    Co-founder and CEO of Zomato, Deepinder Goyal explained this through a tweet that “A consumer can now choose for this option through our ‘delivery instructions’ feature.” An app update over the weekend will make this explicitly clear to everyone.” Through this option, the delivery partner will keep the delivery parcel on a clean surface outside the door. When the consumer receives a photo of the delivered food, the consumer can then pick up the package at their convenience.

    As India prepares to face the current health crisis, Westlife Development, the company that owns and operates McDonald’s restaurants in West and South India, has launched contactless delivery service to deliver food to the customers’ doorstep. According to the company, McDonald’s India is ensuring that food reaches customers without being touched by bare hands and delivered safely with by following social distancing measures.

    “Our customers’ safety has been and will continue to be our top priority. On one hand, we have increased the safety and hygiene processes at our restaurants. On the other hand, we are ensuring contactless delivery to retain consumers’ trust in McDonald’s. Both our consumers and the industry look up to McDonald’s for path-breaking initiatives and contactless delivery,” said Smita Jatia, managing director of Hardcastle Restaurants.

    Online Food Deliveries Declining Fast

    Unfortunately, even after adopting the hygiene practices, online food delivery has seen huge fall in demand. Online food delivery orders for Zomato and Swiggy have dropped 70% in the last 10 days as customers step back and top restaurants shut shop during lockdown induced by the Covid-19 virus outbreak. The reason behind this is that people do not want to perform any practices, which in any way, can expose them to the virus.

    Their investors revealed that even before the lockdown, the orders had started declining. In the first two weeks of March, food delivery orders declined 20%. When lockdown was imposed, Swiggy and Zomato said about 60 to 70% of its cities would be shut for food delivery including few prominent ones. As a result, steady state of 2.5 million deliveries a day, the deliveries have fallen down quickly. In the last 10-15 days, online food delivery orders have dropped 70% to under 1 million a day.

    But considering food delivery startups, the Grocery delivery apps are in demand more than ever not only in India but in many countries during this health crisis. As many countries are under lockdown, the governments are asking people to strictly avoid getting out of their houses to maintain social distancing. Hence, majority of the people are relying on the Grocery delivery apps to avoid social gatherings.

    As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads across the countries, grocery delivery apps have begun seeing record numbers of daily downloads, according to new data from app store intelligence firm Apptopia. The firm said that online grocery apps like Instacart, Walmart Grocery and Shipt hit yet another new record for daily downloads for their respective apps.

    Typically, these apps see tens of thousands to as many as 20,000+ downloads per day. But on April 12, Instacart saw more than 38,500 downloads and Walmart Grocery saw nearly 54,000 downloads. Experts told the delivery strategies need to be better optimised at this time of uncertainty. Considering grocery is in high demand, this makes sense for all players involved in it.

    Also Read: Ideally Tested Food Business Ideas you can Start in 2020

    Zomato & Swiggy will also deliver Groceries Now

    In India too, Grofers, BigBasket and other grocery delivery apps have seen a boom in demand over the past week on the back of panic buying. As many consumers are stuck at home, they are heavily relying on these online grocery stores offering doorstep delivery. Seeing these demands, many foodtech startups are also turning towards these grocery sales to earn some revenue.

    Food-delivery and restaurant discovery app Zomato has decided to try hands at the grocery sale as the category sees a major demand amid the Covid-19 outbreak. The Gurugram-based startup Zomato has decided to partner with e-grocers, Grofers and BigBasket, to sell food products and essentials on its platform by facilitating their deliveries.

    Online Grocer Delivery or E-grocer
    Zomato & Swiggy have started to Deliver Grocery in Major Cities

    Zomato has begun delivering grocery in more than 80 cities in India. Users can access this service by downloading the Zomato app and visit the Zomato Market section. Zomato Market identifies nearby grocery stores that are available and open for delivery. They have started grocery delivery in 80 plus cities across India to help with the supply of essentials.

    CEO & founder of Zomato, Deepinder Goyal said, “Our delivery network in the country is the second best after India Post. Thus, we are ensuring that in every effort we put it to good use to serve the community. We would like to thank the government authorities, grocery stores, FMCG companies and other startups that have come forward to partner with us and support the community in this endeavour.”

    Apart from its grocery deliveries, Zomato has also extended paid Zomato Gold memberships by two months at zero additional cost. This new extension is valid in India, UAE, Australia, Indonesia, Philippines, Lebanon, Turkey, New Zealand, Portugal, and Qatar.

    The food delivery app Swiggy is also not behind in this league. Swiggy has announced a new service to deliver groceries through the application. The lockdown has encouraged the company to spread this service to over 125 new cities across India. Swiggy will be providing essential commodities by partnering with numerous national brands.

    Swiggy has launched a hyper local delivery service called ‘Genie’ that will pick and drop items from any local store that is open. The service is currently only available for essentials and even medicines. During the launch of the service in September last year, the service was labeled ‘Swiggy Go’.

    Swiggy will be partnering with Hindustan Unilever Ltd., P&G India, Godrej Consumer Products Ltd., Dabur India Ltd., Marico Ltd., Vishal Mega Mart Pvt. Ltd., Adani Wilmar Ltd., Cipla Ltd to provide essential items across various cities.

    Also Read: Abhinay Choudhary: Simplified Grocery Shopping Through BigBasket

    Conclusion

    Due to lockdown, Swiggy and Zomato are finding it difficult to grow online food deliveries but this has led them to partner with local grocery shops to provide essentials to the people who want to avoid social gatherings. But this has given people a good opportunity to maintain social distancing by ordering groceries from home only.

  • 11 Founders Shared Opinions on Strategies to Fight with Situation if the Lockdown Continues

    Covid-19, which has shaken the whole world has brought everyone’s life at halt. This highly contagious disease is spreading so fast that Indian Government has ordered 1.3 billion residents to stay home for 21 days. In this lockdown period, all malls, theaters, companies, shops, restaurants, manufacturing units are shut. This will affect businesses and economy badly. Many companies have told their employees to work from home. But, its not possible for all companies like manufacturing units, theaters, malls to let their employees work from home.

    People are also scared of going out. This coronavirus has made people’s lifestyle slow and it will take time for everyone including companies to come back on track after this long period of lock down. COVID-19 has put slowdown to a business everywhere. Travel, Hotel, Events, and Entertainment are the sectors that are suffering.

    But, noone knows when this lockdown situation will end as number of new infected cases are increasing. So, Government may extend this lockdown till number of cases become low or government can remove partial lockdown from few places.  

    We have asked few companies about their strategies strategies to fight with situation if lockdown continues.

    Also Read:

    Strategies to fight with situation if lockdown continues

    AppViewX

    AppViewX is a modular, low-code software application that enables Certificate Management as well as Network Infrastructure Automation and Orchestration using an intuitive, context-aware, visual workflow. We asked Anand Purusothaman, Founder, about their strategies to fight with situation if lockdown continues.

    I think we are well prepared should the lockdown continue as we have always been a virtually connected organization, with teams working across multiple geographies. We always had 4 day work week and work from home for all our customer facing teams. The investments and technical decisions made in cloud based services, virtual services, video conferencing has helped us run the business productively. Also having mandatory video conferencing for all leadership calls and key meetings helps us collaborate better with the personal touch. Last but not the least, the leadership team at AppViewX is committed to frequently communicating to all employees to keep the spirits up and move forward in a progressive and creative manner.

    LegalWiz.in

    LegalWiz.in is focussed on helping early-stage startups and small businesses stay compliant and maintain legal hygiene while maintaining the highest transparency on deliverables. We asked Shrijay Sheth, Founder, about their strategies to fight with situation if lockdown continues.

    Our approach has been pro-active for the start. Our client relationships are robust, time-tested and we continue to deliver a superb CX – amply attested to by a 9.6/10 rating. That said, we plan to offer customised packages for our services. Moreover, there are a few sources from which we ensure a good business flow and hence we are equipped to cope. We will ensure that the team moral and efficiencies are high.

    Primus Co-Work

    Primus Co-work partners with restaurants ,that open only during the night, to convert them into co-working places from Mon-Fri/10am-6pm. We asked Shardul Bayas, Founder, about their strategies to fight with situation if lockdown continues.

    If it continues, we will continue to plan and prepare for the day things open up. Keep the chin high so that we are ready to kick start when the lockdown is over.

    Mamaearth

    Mamaearth is Asia’s first Madesafe certified brand that offers 100% toxin free & natural baby and mama care products. We talked with Ghazal Alagh, C0-founder, about their strategies to fight with situation if lockdown continues.

    We’ll use this time to focus on more medium and long-term strategic goals. Deep diving into our marketing, making our tech stack even more robust, improving our online discovery and user experience, and so on.

    Also Read:

    Metro and Metro

    Metro & Metro is one of the leading manufactures of shoes and allied product in india. We talked with Meenakshi Kalsi, Business Partner, about their strategies to fight with situation if lockdown continues.

    We have to create opportunity out of adversity. Though the areas are very limited as we are manufacturing company as labourers won’t be allowed to come because of social distancing we need to find new processes and techniques so that we can start manufacturing without putting our labour in danger. We have already started to move in this direction. It’s a kind of challenge that none of us ever perceived but this is the time when the true sportsman spirit comes out and handles the challenge face to face. We may have to bend for a little time but surely we shall rise up because the wind does not break the trees that bend. And as I firmly believe that when the going gets tough, the tough get going.

    Cosmo Films

    Cosmo Films is a global leader in specialty films for packaging, lamination and labeling applications. We talked with Mr. Pankaj Poddar, CEO, about their strategies to fight with situation if lockdown continues.

    Even if the lock down continues, the company would keep running operations in line with the permission of government authorities. We are a law abiding organization and would never compromise on compliance.

    All necessary hygiene and safety compliance would be taken care of for the employees who are required at our different factories for essential operations. Their transport, food and safety will remain our responsibility.  

    Employees in support functions like HR, Purchase, Sales, Marketing and IT would continue to work from home with all necessary arrangements. They will help operations by providing them necessary support for smooth functioning of the plants.

    upGrad Education

    Founded in early 2015, upGrad offers online programs for working professionals. We talked with Mayank Kumar, Co-founder & MD, about their strategies to fight with situation if lockdown continues.

    The current situation is a net positive for online education sector at large. With over 100% Q-0-Q jump, upGrad has expanded its portfolio twofold in the last quarter (Q4) by adding new programs under its Management and Data verticals and is in a position to command the highest ARPU of ₹2.4 lakhs in the Indian online education sector.

    While I also believe that the WFH model is a double-edged sword, which could either bring new practices to life for higher productivity or could break the system in the long run. As a matter of fact, it is now ensuring our safety, but there will always be a demand for the physical workforce due to the nature of our product.

    In order to minimise disruption, we are now video calling and conducting webinars with our prospective learners, to have the same impact that any personal interaction would have. This has also helped us in conducting additional counselling sessions for them every day, including that on weekdays which was earlier limited due to time lost while travelling.

    So, to conclude, if we move into a time where the teams are to work from home, we would swiftly adapt to new practices and march towards creating new benchmarks.

    Ecolab Digital Centre

    Ecolab’ Digital Centre focuses on finding solutions to real-world problems around water safety, energy conservation, food security, and health & healthy environments. We talked with Malahar Pinnelli, MD, about their strategies to fight with situation if lockdown continues.

    We will continue working from home irrespective of mandated lock down for next one month and we are now used to making most of this situation. But If complete lock down continues, I think we need to add more to essential services such as Laptops, UPS and New internet connections so that parts the businesses can contiue without larger Impact.

    Excess2sell

    Excess2sell is India’s Premier and leading b2b excess inventory marketplace which covers multiple verticals. We talked with Mr Rajan Sharma, Founder & CEO, about their strategies to fight with situation if lockdown continues.

    Since the lockdown deadline has been extended we might witness a massive hit to businesses and consequently to the revenues. We feel that the challenges of situation will be realised across functions –in short term we expect the revenue to drop in absolute terms, but from a business development perspective we expect major scale up as sellers and buyers will start looking for liquidating unsold and overstock inventories.

    ZingHR

    ZingHR is one of the oldest HRM providers. ZingHR is one of the few global ventures which offers almost all web/mobile-based modules from Hire to Retire Solutions with state of the art tech supporting those applications. We talked with Prasad Rajappan, Founder and CEO, about their strategies to fight with situation if lockdown continues.

    At ZingHR we have initiated some steps to manage the implications of the current situation with two priorities:

    1. Ensuring Business Continuity for internal external stakeholders
    2. To safeguard the health and safety of our employees, their families and our customers.
    3. To ensure productivity is never compromised.

    We are also conducting simulation exercises wherein we are regularly testing the communication channels which includes scenarios impacting the customers and employees.  

    Surmount Business

    Surmount Business practices targets to become a strategic partner to entrepreneurs and enterprises to help expand businesses beyond their existing roots, professionalize their operations and enhance their Capital Efficiency. We talked with Niraj Bora, Founder, about their strategies to fight with situation if lockdown continues.

    If lockdown extends, a lot of business processes will be redesigned and online methods will be widely used to cater to consumer needs. So, the strategy would be to tweak the business to cater to people without having an office / FaceTime with the team. Easier said than done, but it is possible since the entire IT sector currently is doing the same and many have reported increased productivity due to reduced commuting time.
    E.g. An agri-supply chain company supplying only to B2B started to cater to society groups where the areas have been sealed in Pune. That has enabled them to continue or rather increase the business in the lockdown phase. They have tied up with Dunzo, etc to supply to B2C segment as well now.

    Also Read:

  • How Different Sectors will Resume their Operations after Lockdown?

    Since March 24, India is under a 21-day lockdown till April 14(which is likely to be extended till April 30) to contain the spread of Coronavirus. During this lockdown, only shops providing essentials and medicals are allowed to remain opened. Apart from these, all the businesses, firms and shops cannot remain opened. But once this lockdown is lifted, all the businesses can resume their operations. Yet, there is a plan rather directives to be followed by all while resuming the operations.

    Not surprising, this 21-day coronavirus lockdown has badly hurt India’s economy. Usually, India’s daily GDP stands at $8 billion. The 21-day lockdown will cause around $168 billion loss which is expected to increase if the lockdown continues for more days. A 30-day lockdown will cause around $250 billion loss which will be very tough to recover. Now everyone is looking at how the Modi government plans to normalise it after April 14.

    To strategise a proper exit plan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has formed Prime Minister’s 11 empowered committees. The committees are headed by the home secretary and continuously seeking feedback and assessments. The committee comprises officials from almost every department like railways, civil aviation, pharmaceutical, commerce, health, DEPT officials and representatives from businesses.

    Indicating a phased lifting of the lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked Union ministers to prepare a “graded plan” to slowly open departments in non-hotspots of the COVID-19. This means businesses in hotspots might have to wait more. He also asked the ministers to lift the restrictions sector-wise or district-wise.

    “It is important to formulate a common exit strategy to ensure a safe re-emergence of the population once the lockdown ends,” the PM said in a interaction with state chief ministers, asking them to send their suggestions for such an exit strategy.

    Besides, the central government has also sought feedback from states. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with chief ministers via videoconferencing and asked them to submit suggestions as per the situation in their respective states for a staggered exit after lifting of lockdown.

    Resumption of Airlines

    Since India is under 21-day lockdown, all domestic and international commercial passenger flights have been suspended for this time period. However, cargo flights, medical evacuation flights, offshore helicopter operations and flights specially permitted by the aviation regulator DGCA can operate during this time period. Thus, startups in aviation sector have suffered a great loss.

    Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that resumption of international flights will be considered on a case-by-case basis after India’s lockdown ends. It also will depend on which countries they are coming from. There are some directives which all airlines need to follow after resumption.

    It will be mandatory to keep the middle seat empty to ensure social distancing inside the aircraft. Also the last three rows will have to be kept empty in order to isolate a passenger if he or she develops symptoms mid-air. Airlines will also be asked to minimise on-board services in order to prevent close contact between cabin crew and passengers. Pre-packaged dry foods will be kept in passenger seats prior to boarding, while airlines may also encourage flyers to carry their own food. Airports will have to ensure two-metre distancing during check-in and security check.

    Not all trains will be running

    Similarly, Railway Board has said that they are not looking in terms of revenue generation for now as these are sensitive times. The focus is on passenger safety and to ensure that the disease does not spread. Trains will run soon, once the government gives the green signal. The railways officials said they are also identifying trains and routes which can be resumed with the approval of the board.

    The trains on routes catering to migrant workers can be resumed initially and also those that are not travelling or that have halts at COVID-19 hotspots. But some rules will need to be followed by passengers. For instance, a measure will include that people need to maintain distance at ticket counters as well as boarding the train to maintain social distancing.

    Also Read: What will be the Scenario after Coronavirus Outbreak?

    Logistics will be Issue for Manufacturing Industry

    The domestic manufacturing industry is also preparing to resume operations when the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus disease ends. After the lockdown is over, firms will be focusing on bringing production back to the pre-lockdown levels, which is not going to be that easy. All leading electronics players like Samsung, LG, Xiaomi, Godrej, Panasonic, Blue Star, etc. are holding virtual meetings with stakeholders and government officials to chalk out a resumption plan, which is being monitored by an empowered group of ministers (EGM).

    Even after lockdown, availability of truckers for customers to unload material will be a big issue. Most electronic industry players also raised the issue of logistics since sourcing raw materials is no longer a concern as production units in China have already surpassed 70% capacity but fast-track shipping of goods will be an issue as there will be some restrictions on transport.

    Plans after Lockdown
    Proper plans will have to be devised after Lockdown

    Resumptions for Startups will not be Easy

    Startups in fast-growing consumer categories such as fashion, beauty and furniture, electronics are struggling with a very low demand because of the ongoing nationwide lockdown. With the lockdown being ordered throughout the country, production, delivery, sales, marketing and at the end earnings are highly affected as people are not allowed to move out of their houses.

    Similarly, the 21-day lockdown by the government to contain the outbreak of novel coronavirus has upset the supply chains of e-commerce and other startups that are slowly starting to resume normal business. Only essential products such as groceries and medicines are currently being sold on most platforms.

    As a result, even the two biggest online retailers Flipkart and Amazon India are likely to see a drop in sales this quarter because of weak demand for mobile phones, electronics and fashion, the three categories that make up a majority of their business. Both have temporarily halted sales of all consumer goods other than essential items as directed by government.

    Yet, the coronavirus pandemic could speed up a market in fintech sector. Some research indicates that more people are using online financial services, including banking apps and stock-trading apps during lockdowns. Even governments are also asking people to go for contactless payment. According to reports, fintech apps saw a 72% spike in usage in the final week of March. These included PayPal, UK neo-bank Monzo, and Barclays’ mobile app. Stock-trading apps Robinhood and Acorns also saw download spikes in the US.

    Once the lockdown is lifted and normalcy returns, many startups will have to examine how they will work. They will have to pay serious attention to renting an office in a coworking space because such an office is virtually immune to the impact of a pandemic causing lockdown and it helps save rent costs. Many governments are helping the startups in their countries with relief packages.

    The US Government recently announced a $2 trillion relief package for its citizens and businesses who have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. This includes a $350 million in loans and other assistance for the small businesses of the country. The UK also announced a £3 billion per month package for Britain’s 3.8 million startups and SMEs. But Indian government hasn’t announced any plans yet but it is expected from government to render some financial help to startups once the lockdown ends.

    Also Read: What New Innovations will Come after COVID-19 Pandemic?

    Conclusion

    Every crisis brings with it some unseen opportunities. Every crisis also tests the limits of our resilience. The current lockdown is not the last; there might be others in the future. While India’s startups are still only a small yet important portion of the larger economy. Thus, many lessons can be learnt from this lockdown.

    In future, startups will have have to take into account the fact that their business may be adversely affected by such lockdowns. Importantly, COVID-19, in addition to this, will bring novel changes in businesses & lifestyle and create behavioural changes that will have a lasting effect on our lives.

  • How Startups are Building Products to fight COVID-19?

    The number of coronavirus cases has been rising steadily every day not only in India but whole worldwide. The state governments across the country are taking important measures to control the spread of the virus. With the globalized world going into partial or complete lock down over the Covid-19 pandemic, startups in the various sectors are facing a huge stress test and immediate disruption to business as people are encouraged or even forced not to travel. Now much of Indian startup ecosystem has just started to realise the gravity of the coronavirus pandemic as the country goes into lockdown.

    Starting as a group of nearly 70 entrepreneurs and investors who had written to the government last week, the “Founders vs Covid-19” group has now become a 600-member crew which includes stakeholders from the healthcare sector, technology industry, the social sector and government. The collective has now transitioned into “Startups vs Covid-19” and is now fighting the coronavirus battle across multiple fronts. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced the “COVID-19 Solution Challenge” to encourage the startups in India to find solution to fight the virus by proposing ideas.

    Many entrepreneurs and startups across the world have focused on developing solution to contain the spread of virus. Designers, engineers and programmers are also trying to scale testing through telemedicine, building multistage testing procedures, scaling the manufacturing of test kits and the healthcare infrastructure. It has also built various applications, such as a portal for citizens to report symptoms and a heatmap of the infection based on symptoms reported by doctors.

    Startups are helping fight Covid-19 by building Products
    Many startups are being encouraged to build Products to fight COVID-19

    So here are some products developed across the world to cope with novel coronavirus-

    Fever-finding Smart Helmet

    The Shenzhen-based Chinese tech firm KC Wearable is also trying to increase testing through telemedicine, building multistage testing procedures, scaling the manufacturing of test kits and the healthcare infrastructure. Further, the group also planning for the path ahead which includes planning for Stage 3 of the pandemic or community transmission. The company has developed a smart helmet that can detect people with a fever up to five metres away and indicates with sounding an alarm when anyone with a high temperature comes close.

    The headset, which is already used by police in many cities of China including Shenzhen, Shanghai, etc. It also features an infrared temperature detector, an augmented-reality visor, a camera that can read QR codes, plus wifi, Bluetooth and 5G so it can beam data to the nearest hospital. Equipped with facial recognition technology, the helmet can also display the subject’s name on the AR visor, as well as their medical history. According to the developer, it would only take officers two minutes to scan a queue of more than 100 people with the help of the helmets, while one big hospital would only need 10 such helmets to cover every corner of its site.

    3D-printed Ventilator Valves

    An Italian startup came to the rescue after a hospital ran out of crucial valves that connect oxygen masks to respirators for its ventilators. The hospital in Chiari, in northern Italy hit hard by the virus, had 250 coronavirus patients in intensive care, and was short of venturi valves – which connect the ventilator to a patient’s face mask, and need to be replaced for each patient.

    After the original supplier was unable to provide new valves quickly enough, the hospital put out a call for help. Isinnova contacted the manufacturer, Intersurgical, but was unable to obtain a digital model of the part, so its team decided to reverse-engineer its structure themselves. The first prototype was ready within six hours, with 100 working valves printed and supplied to the hospital within a day.

    Also Read: How Entrepreneurs are Helping to Fight COVID-19?

    Hands-free Door Opener

    Door handles are said to be among the most contagious places in a building or house. Thus, it is advised to refrain from touching the door handles. Belgian 3D printing company Materialise has designed a hands-free door handle attachment under the slogan “Do less harm, use your arm!”. The design, which has been made available to download for free, consists of two simple parts that can be screwed either side of a handle, allowing you to use your arm or elbow to turn the handle.

    UV-sanitising Robots

    A Danish company developed a sterilising robot looking like a cluster of light swords on wheels. It can kill virus cells and sanitise hospital wards without the need for chemicals. The eight bulbs on each roaming robot emit concentrated UV-C ultraviolet light which destroys bacteria, viruses and other harmful microbes by damaging their DNA and RNA so they can’t multiply.

    The robot was launched in early 2019, following six years of collaboration between parent firm, Blue Ocean Robotics and Odense University Hospital. But recent demand has seen boom in production. A similar device has been developed by Chinese firm YouiBot, which took its existing robot base and added thermal camera and UV-C bulbs for disinfection. It has supplied factories, offices and an airport, and a hospital in Wuhan. This helps reduce dependency on chemical-based disinfectants which require rooms to be left empty for several hours during sterilisation,

    3D-printed isolation wards

    Chinese company Winsun has deployed its rapid 3D-printing technology for manufacturing 15 coronavirus isolation wards in a single day. Those little cabins were originally designed to be used as holiday homes but seeing the demand from overcrowded Chinese hospitals to cope with Covid-19 pandemic, the company increased production the wards.

    The company says it uses recycled construction material in the process and claims its structures are twice as strong as a conventional concrete construction. The buildings, which have showers and eco-toilets, were printed with a robotic arm mounted on rails, gradually depositing layers of concrete to build the walls.

    Corona 100m App

    Coders have joined the battle against coronavirus, racing to develop apps. In South Korea, virus-tracking apps make up six of the most popular 15 downloaded apps, by far the most popular being Corona 100m. Using the wealth of data collected by the government’s testing programme, the app alerts users when they come within 100 metres of a location visited by an infected person. This app is one of the most crucial things developed to fight Covid-19. It needs to be used in India also.

    3D-printed face shield

    Czech company Prusa, which claims to have the largest 3D printing farm in the world, with more than 500 printers, has started mass-producing protective face shields used by medics. It is manufacturing over 800 a day and has donated 10,000 to the Czech ministry of health. Another firm, Stratasys, has also developed a 3D-printed face shield and masks. According to its CEO, Yoav Zeif: “The strengths of 3D printing, be anywhere, print virtually anything, adapt on the fly, make it capable for helping address shortages of parts related to shields, masks, and ventilators, among other things.”

    Virus-fighting Drones

    No one needs to mention the need of drones from preventing people from stepping out of their houses. Many governments have started using drones to keep watch but these drones have been modified with more features to fight the coronavirus. The world leader in drone manufacturing, China has used the mini choppers(drones) for everything from fever detection in crowds to disinfecting public spaces, to delivering supplies to remote locations. Drones have also been used to deliver test samples, dramatically cutting journey times.

    In France, the police have started using drones to help enforce its lockdown, monitoring parks and public spaces to make sure people are not leaving their homes for non-essential trips, while, in the UK, Northamptonshire police are planning to increase the use of drones, which will be equipped with speakers to transmit public information messages and tell people to get back indoors. In India too, a Tamil Nadu startup is helping government to disinfect roads & hospitals with drones.

    Also Read: What will be the Scenario after Coronavirus Outbreak?

    Robots at Kerala’s Airports

    Kerala Health Minister Shailaja KK has proved to be a strong pillar of strength and support in the time of COVID-19 crisis. Kerala’s Asimov Robotics has developed two robots that are to be stationed in the airports. While one robot distributes sanitisers, masks, and napkins to the people, the other robot streams World Health Organisation’s (WHO) campaign videos and also briefs people about social distancing and other steps to be taken to prevent the spread of the virus.

  • How Entrepreneurs are Helping to Fight COVID-19?

    Needless to mention, Coronavirus has affected every aspect of human life. Lockdowns and social distancing particularly has had immediate effect on several banking activities. Thus, at the same time, many efforts are being made to raise funds and help startups and SMEs. Experts in the sector have greatly underscored the need for focusing on digital channels and platforms during times like these. After the coronavirus wiped $7.6 trillion off the world’s stock markets in four days, global health groups are asking companies, governments and even the public for billions of dollars to fight the contagion. The World Health Organization(WHO)set up a website seeking contributions from anyone in an attempt to raise at least $7 billion.

    On Tuesday (March 24) evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the whole country has been put on lockdown and had announced INR 15,000 Crore package to strengthen the Indian healthcare infrastructure in India. The fund will be used to develop testing facilities, personal protective equipment and procure more isolation beds, intensive care unit (ICU) beds and ventilators. Moreover, the government will be using the fund to train paramedical and medical staff helping in treating affected patients. Earlier in the day, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had relaxed timelines for filing taxes and raising default thresholds for avoiding bankruptcy proceedings. She had added that the government will soon announce a package to address the coronavirus impact on the economy.

    In one such efforts, Prime Minster of India, Narendra Modi announced a special emergency fund for the nation to fight crisis like COVID-19 on March 29. Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund), is a dedicated national fund with the primary objective of dealing with any kind of emergency or distress situation, like posed by the Coronavirus pandemic, and to provide relief to the affected. Hours after the announcement, entrepreneurs and celebrities from various walks of life have come together to show their appreciation.

    Ratan Tata

    Joining a number of India Inc leaders who are doing their bit in their own way, Ratan Tata has committed Rs 500 crore for protective equipment for frontline workers, respiratory systems for treatment of increasing cases and testing kits in the fight against COVID-19. In a tweet on March 28, Ratan Tata shared a post detailing how Tata Trusts and the group companies will help as India battles to contain the spread of COVID-19 crisis. Ratan Tata tweeted, “COVID-19 is one of the toughest challenges we will face as a race. The Tata Trusts and the Tata group companies have in the past risen to the needs of the nation. At this moment, the need of the hour is greater than any other time.” The amount would be used for personal protective equipment for the medical personnel on the frontline, respiratory systems for treating increasing cases, testing kits to increase per capita testing, setting up modular treatment facilities for infected patients, and knowledge management and training of health workers plus the general public.

    Following Ratan Tata’s announcement, N. Chandrasekharan, chairman of Tata Sons, announced an additional Rs 1,000 crore in support towards COVID-19 and related activities. He said in a statement, “We will work together with the Tata Trusts and our Chairman Emeritus Mr. Tata and would be fully supporting their initiatives, and work in a collaborative manner to bring the full expertise of the group. In addition to the initiatives articulated by Tata Trusts, we are also bringing in the ventilators necessary and are gearing up to also manufacture the same soon in India.”

    Mukesh Ambani

    One of the top business tycoons of India, Mukesh Ambani has also contributed in his own ways. In collaboration with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital has set up a dedicated 100-bed centre at Seven Hills Hospital, Mumbai, for patients who test positive for COVID-19. Reliance Industries Limited is enhancing its production capacities to produce 100,000 face-masks per day and a large number of personal protective equipment for the nation’s health-workers to equip them further to fight the coronavirus challenge. Reliance Industries has donated Rs 500 crore to PM’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situation (PM CARES) Fund to help government in the fight against coronavirus.

    Similarly, other companies in India have come forward to contribute. Digital payments company Paytm said it aims to contribute Rs 500 crore to the fund. For every contribution or any other payment made on Paytm using the wallet, UPI and Paytm Bank debit card, the company will contribute an extra up to Rs 10, Paytm said in a statement. Also, Flipkart-owned PhonePe also launched a donation drive and said it aims to contribute up to Rs 100 crore to PM CARES Fund towards fighting coronavirus crisis. Infosys Foundation has also committed Rs 100 crore to fight COVID-19. Uday Kotak, managing director of Kotak Mahindra Bank announced a Rs 60 crore donation. On March 22, Anand Mahindra, CEO of Mahindra and Mahindra also offered the group’s hospitality arm as a medical care facility and said the group will work on how its manufacturing facilities can manufacture ventilators. Engineering and construction giant Larsen & Toubro (L&T) on Monday announced Rs 150 crore donation to the PM-CARES Fund to fight the coronavirus outbreak and said it has set aside over Rs 500 crore per month to support about 1.60 lakh contract workers. JSW Group, an Indian business operating in metals and mining has announced contributing Rs 100 crores to the prime minister’s citizen assistance and relief in emergency situations (PM-CARES) fund in the light of the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak. Paint and decor company, Asian Paints on Monday has announced contributing Rs 35 crores towards Covid19 Relief Fund.

    However, startups and small businesses were getting anxious about the support from the government considering the pressure they are facing to keep the operations running smoothly in the light of funds being scarce and market demand being low. This combined with the pressure to plan for remote teams due to the lockdown across India. Amid the country-wide lockdown, startups have been calling for a relief package for small businesses and the startups which are struggling as the coronavirus pandemic continues to hamper daily life. A Reuters report has now said that the India government may bring an INR 2.3 Tn ($20 Bn) relief fund by the end of the week for the poor sections of the population and businesses. For this, various entrepreneurs have showed willingness to help.

    Mark Zuckerberg & Bill Gates

    The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the philanthropic arm of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, has announced plans to team up with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to donate USD 25 million to a research fund exploring possible COVID-19 treatments. Separately, a coalition backed by Bill Gates and Norway is considering a crowdfunding campaign as they seek to attract about $2 billion to speed up development of vaccines. Mastercard and charity foundation Wellcome are also partnering with Bill & Melinda Gates as part of the initiative, which started with $125 million in seed funding at its launch. The goal of the project is to develop affordable treatments to COVID-19 that can be distributed at scale.

    In the same way, Facebook wants to help small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) survive the coronavirus pandemic. Now it is offering $100 million in grants to 30,000 companies in over 30 countries. Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook, said on her page on Tuesday (March 17) that the social media giant(Facebook) wants to “do our part” to help with the “enormous challenge in front of us.” To that end, the company is extending a total of $100 million in cash, as well as credits for advertising, to a maximum of 30,000 eligible small businesses.

    Similarly, Facebook’s Head of Health Kang-Xing Jin said in a blog post that Facebook is also supporting COVID-19 fact-checkers with a $1 million grant, in partnership with the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN). The funds will be used to launch a program to increase capacity during the coronavirus pandemic. Facebook has also opened a special hub to help SMBs during the pandemic, and is planning virtual training through Blueprint, its free e-learning training program. The company’s goal is to assist companies “in this new and unsettling environment.”

  • Impact of Coronavirus outbreak on Dropshippers

    The coronavirus outbreak has reached almost every corner of the world, with cases only continuing to soar day by day. In the months since the virus has emerged in Wuhan, China, there have already been signs of a shift in consumer behaviour all over the world. With the outbreak still in its early stages in India, sales of groceries, household goods and healthcare items have seen a boost as consumers look for ways to protect themselves. But analysis shows that it has had a reverse impact on other sectors. The government is taking various precautionary steps to contain the spread of coronavirus such as Janta curfew and 21 days lockdown during which only shops or businesses selling essentials are allowed to remain open. While, the other businesses are strictly closed.

    At the same time, the impact of the coronavirus on ecommerce and online store is great. It’s a fact that a lot of things have been and will still be affected by coronairus. Unfortunately, one of them (what will be affected) is dropshipping! But what is Dropshipping? It is a retail fulfillment method where a store doesn’t keep the products it sells in stock. Instead, when a store sells a product using the dropshipping model, it purchases the item from a third party and has it shipped directly to the customer. As a result, the seller doesn’t have to handle the product directly. In other words, it is more of online store. One of the biggest concerns these store owners may have is that consumers will stop making online purchases over fears that they might get the virus from overseas shipments.

    With many manufacturing and logistics facilities restricted or shut temporarily, experts have recommended them prepare for delays and take that into account before continuing to run paid ads and take orders. It is a good idea to check with your supplier, but assume that your items will not be shipped promptly. Or, if they are shipping things on time, disruptions to domestic shipping in the destination country could still cause delays. As a result of the continuous widespread of this virus, transportations all around the country are shut down partially or completely. This has caused the inability of all workers and employees to go back to factories and companies to work, which has affected operations in most companies.

    Also Read: How Dropshipping Works? Should you Start Dropshipping in 2020

    The Effect of Coronavirus on Drop-shipping

    The impact of COVID-19 has been massive on dropshipping.
    First, it means significant delays. Since the priority of the government is public safety, the authorities set prevention and control measures such as lockdown in place that disrupt the free movement of goods and people. These policies have left logistics companies in difficult situation, incapable to navigate the new restrictions, and without the government’s guidance, many are forced to freeze operations as they can’t provide a concrete answer. Moreover, Western sellers are confused about their action plan because most of them don’t know how to lower the possible financial risks. The forecast is not too encouraging if we consider the roadblocks and temporary closing of airports, highways, railways stations, and ports.

    In the same way, this uncertainty will disrupt the business of startups & smaller vendors who very often depend on the products they sell; smaller retail traffic could push them into bankruptcy. Their ability to survive depends not only on the quality of goods but also on a speedy delivery process since customers want to have access to products as fast as possible. So, these circumstances obviously unfavourable for them to survive. Stocks have been said to fall on fears that the Coronavirus could take a more significant economic toll than initially expected.

    In addition to this, the directive, orders from government during this lockdown have asked people to avoid travel and going out by working from home. These directives, orders from government which excluded emergency service workers and people who work for essential public services, urged the private sector to enforce similar arrangements. This means almost all the workers involved in the dropshipping process won’t have the chance to go work.

    The fact is, most suppliers of dropshipping business depend on factories. As a result of COVID-19 and the compulsory -stay indoor- thing, factories will not be able to produce products at the expected date. Because of Coronavirus, the majority of workers will not be able to come back to suppliers’ factories to start producing. However, according to the current situation, the return date of workers may be delayed, which means dropshipping will suffer.

    Drop-shipping is likely to be affected more due to Lockdown

    If in case, supplier or suppliers have product stocks available, what about logistics? Logistics companies are also affected due to coronavirus outbreak as most of their workers are at home because government has allowed transportation of essential goods only. With the Government announcement of borders closing and all cities’ transportation systems closed, there’s no way logistics companies could work. If logistics companies don’t work, then there’s no way parcels and other dropshipping fulfillment products will be shipped out to their various destination. Most of the suppliers’ facility has been temporarily shut down by the government. So, it has left businesses with dropshipping with no option but to wait for the situation to get better.

    Also Read: 10 ways Startups should be Prepared for the Coronavirus Crisis

    How to manage Dropshipping during Coronavirus

    • As mentioned above the reduction in logistics and suspension of flights is disrupting the supply chain that is causing delays in shipping, reduced transport capacity, and inflation in shipping costs. As a dropshipper, it is your duty to inform your customers about the delay. The delays should not be affecting for a long time. However, you still need to put confidence in your customers and ask them to wait a little longer. One also needs to be prepared to refund them and wait for the situation to become normal.
    • The capacity for carrying couriers has been compromised after the lockdown. However, services will be resuming at a slow pace and should return to its normal operations in the upcoming weeks. It is in the best interest of dropshippers to avoid standard shipping.
    • One must try removing fear from the customer’s mind by letting them know that coronavirus does not survive for long on a surface. The postal services are already using disinfectants and taking extra precautionary measures to ensure the safety of their staff and packaging.
    • Remove fear from the customer’s mind by letting them know that coronavirus does not survive for long on a surface. The postal services are using disinfectants and taking extra precautionary measures to ensure the safety of their staff and packaging.
    • Avoid selecting standard shipping and choose a faster shipping method until the outbreak is controlled. It is recommended that you use only the express shipping method during this time.

  • Coronavirus Challenges for Travel Startups & how to Survive them?

    The coronavirus aka COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread with no signs of fading away. Preventive measures taken by the public sector and by global industry are already having widespread effects. Most of the businesses around the world are facing many challenges and lower demands of their services & products. Meanwhile, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has said the global economy may now grow at its slowest rate since 2009.

    With the COVID-19 virus spreading to dozens of countries globally, the travel industry is working hastily to both prevent the spread of the virus and navigate through heavy economic uncertainty & slowdown. Now, with the globalized world going into partial or complete lock down over the Covid-19 pandemic, startups in the travel sector are facing a huge stress test as well as immediate interruption to business because public health concern has increased and entire populations are encouraged or even forced not to travel.

    Travelers are reconsidering travel plans both to prevent infection and avoid being quarantined. Due to this, airlines are also facing a huge fall in bookings. Airlines have ceased flights to the hardest-hit areas and reduced capacity elsewhere. Similarly, many hotels are empty or facing declining fall in occupancy; conference organizers are losing major events, local tour operators have far fewer customers due to travel avoidance of customers as experts say that there’s no sugar-coating: It’s rough out there right now. Lean times are inevitable for the travel industry – that much is for sure. But among the furrowed speculation and fearful reports, some of the startup founders have been busy formulating ideas and plans catalyzed by the recent crisis.

    No to non-essential travel

    With restrictions on travel and large business events, many startups, IT majors and corporates have ruled out non-essential domestic and international travel. In a statement, IT major Wipro said: “Wipro has suspended travel to and transit through mainland China, including Hong Kong and Macau, until further notice. Employees have also been advised to avoid non-critical travel to Singapore, South Korea, Japan, and Italy.” As many companies have asked their employees to work from home, it has caused decrease in travel. Asheesh Chanda, CEO of digital wealth management startup Kristal.AI, said all necessary precautions as advised by the government were being taken. “Kristal.AI operates in three locations – Singapore, Hong Kong, and India. Non-essential travel between offices is currently discouraged. We have asked all employees across locations to work-from-home.”

    In the same way, many travel tech companies have seen a spike in cancellations. In general the impact is heavy. While some have stated that demand is dropping off a cliff but it’s not as bad as they thought — but it is definitely heavy. Bookings are down by almost half It’s seeing similar changes in booking behavior. Advanced booking has come down drastically. TravelPerk told that it’s currently dealing with a drop in business globally of around 50%.

    Lockdown due to COVID-19 has resulted in low demands of bookings

    The co-founder and CEO of TechCrunch, Johannes Reck said, “This is the most severe shock that I’ve seen in the last 10 years. The irony of Europe is that we had a fantastic start to the year, consumer sentiment was high, and then it fell off a cliff a few days ago.” An airline trade group said last week that the industry will lose as much as $113 billion in sales because of the coronavirus pandemic. Also, Booking.com withdrew its forecast, citing the worsening impact of the virus on travel.

    Here’s some of the useful tips and tricks for staying afloat in these tough times –

    Look for bright spots

    If your startup has a global focus, look for bright spots of travel demand. Not every area is affected by travel restrictions and flight bans. For instance, depending on your business model and market, one can switch to targeting short journey. Another tactic is to target travelers from areas less affected by the virus. Take a methodical look at current travel conditions and compare that with your target demographics. Wherever you find opportunities, you’ll need to balance pricing with market share and thus customers can be attracted to use your services.

    Also Read: List of Top Travel Startups in India

    Work on your expertise

    The travel community has a unique perspective with many “boots on the ground” i.e. contacts in different places around the world. So ask your suppliers, distributors, partners what is happening on their end. So, by gathering information from them, your expertise can be utilized to provide customers what they are actually needing at this time. This can help with lowering cancellations while also keeping your team informed on the virus.

    Create your USP

    Travelers now face uncertainty and lack clarity over when, where, and how to travel due to constraints. If your startup has a unique selling proposition that addresses some of these challenges, work on it! Try to be creative and see how you might be able to apply your product to add new or unexpected value to the current global situation. Or, perhaps there are aspects of your business model that could be improved a bit to increase relevance in these circumstances.

    Partner up with others

    Now is the time to get creative with partnerships and building relationships. By joining hands with other startups which are also facing the same challenges, new solutions can be found to deal with current circumstances. As you consider potential partners, look for those who may be especially hard in this climate and needing cost-cutting or short-term revenue.

    Also Read: Coronavirus Impact on Digital Payments Startups

    Final Thoughts

    It’s important to remember that no crisis lasts forever and to attempt to look to the future. This isn’t the world’s first recession and it won’t be the last. It’s not the world’s first pandemic and it won’t be the last. The key for entrepreneurs is to keep a cool head about you, don’t do anything and adopt a war footing while your company struggles through choppy waters for 12 to 18 months in the wake of this pandemic. When the crisis recedes and the courts reopen, your company will need to provide an accounting of its obligations and answer for any it has fallen short on in the meantime.