From underneath the clouds of COVID-19

The world is going through a historic yet unpleasant time with curtailment on movements and contacts, following COVID-19. This has been a wakeup call for humanity. The pandemic has created unprecedented emergencies. This is no ordinary economic downturn: Fundamental changes in consumer behavior, supply chains and market routes are knocking companies off balance. In such a scenario, not all businesses are disrupted; many new business opportunities are making their way along. From underneath the clouds of COVID-19, BITSians around the world are coming together and innovating to minimize the impact on public health and to limit disruptions to economies and supply chains. In these tough times, BITS ECHO has tried to understand the future of startups or corporate world from the BITSian leaders and achievers across the globe.

The Game Changer for the Society

Pankaj Vyas,

CEO & MD, Siemens Technology & Services Pvt. | Pilani,’95

COVID-19 has emerged as a game-changer in society and the culture of working from home has become a corporate fashion. People’s shift for buying most of the commodities from home has given rise to bright future to some service sectors. Every organization would fundamentally change once the crisis is over. In such challenging times, some Indian startups are growing rapidly and setting examples for other firms on the techniques to fight with and survive these difficult times.

Boost for Education Sector Startup

Shivangi Nadkarni

Co-founder & CEO - Arrka | Pilani,’92

Edutech or e-learning sector startups in India is one sector that was least expected to have a positive impact during the COVID-19 pandemic. Companies like BYJU’s, Whitehat Jr, Unacademy, Toppr, Vedantu have gained up to 3 times surge in usage, since the lock down in March 2020. These startups are bridging the gap and taking education to new levels. Digital education is the need of the hour, and it has seen increased usage; these firms are anticipating an improved top-line growth in this financial year.

Online will be backbone of lifestyle

Bernie Alen

Founder - Contextual Intelligence Platform | Pilani,’95

India’s biggest online grocers and BITS Pilani startup Big Basket have doubled the number of daily deliveries in comparison to last month because more consumers hitting the internet to purchase the essentials. Epharmacy has become the backbone of the cities in their fight against the pandemic. Online pharmacies have become one stop destination for people to buy all kind of medicines. These platforms also provide online prescription services with their registered doctors. They will analyze large consumer data across the country that will be used for planning various health policies.

An Indian will Emerge as a World Leader

Sharad Mohan

Country Head, Citibank | Pilani, '90

Fintech, Edtech and Healthtech are some emerging verticals in India, while e-commerce and aggregators have become mature, according to the Startup India Website. India has not only attracted foreign direct investments to compliment the supply chain of tech, but has also created its own homemade innovations that have contributed to the global tech ecosystem. For a post-corona virus world, these emerging verticals will need to continue. There will be a high probability that Fintech, Ed tech, Health tech, e-commerce and Agri-tech will be at global demand.