Startups in 2020: COVID-19 Edition

    ODESA, UKRAINE, May 18, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Desperate times call for desperate measures, so the agile companies are accelerating and pushing things forward. In addition, there are already several accelerators that focus on startups that help address the coronavirus pandemic. There are even special funds that finance similar businesses. Black&Veath invests from $250 thousand in teams that have passed the accelerator and help them with their resources, while the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (together with Wellcome and Mastercard) allocated $125 million for research. Of course, there are COVID-19 prompted wild and crazy ideas, but we will be focusing more on the ones, which are more realistic and useful. In times of social distancing, there are technological solutions that will be more relevant than others.

Co-train.space

The application launched by Dmitry Ulyanov has already been featured on ProductHunt. It solves two problems at once – communication and physical activity. Users can pick any YouTube video with a workout they'd like to try and invite their friends. Then they will simultaneously see the video and each other on the screen and can start a joint training. It is a perfect solution for people who want to keep active, but it is hard for them to train at home alone. Training buddy will motivate them to stay on an active track. First users have already appreciated the UX, and the overall feedback was positive.

Lunchclub

The project was launched in September last year, at the same time its creators received $4 million from Andreessen Horowitz. But it took off precisely in the period of the coronacrisis. This startup is a great networking tool. It helps to conduct "useful" online lunches and expand your professional circle of friends. If you need to attract financing, find a partner, or "have a brainstorm with a team" - Lunchclub is your choice.

Poptotheshop

A non-profit startup originated from Mckinsey and Tidde, was created with the support of the CanDo venture capital fund. The platform connects people on self-isolation and volunteers who help to buy and deliver the necessary goods from local stores.

Skycell

SkyCell is a developer of "smart containers" which maintain constant storage conditions for drugs that must be at a certain temperature and humidity. A startup from Switzerland has already raised $62 million from MVM Partners.

Checkly

A Berlin-based startup developing a platform for monitoring and testing raised a round of $2.25 million from investors led by Accel. This SaaS platform allows developers to control their APIs and web applications - and alerts you when something goes wrong. A transaction monitoring tool makes it easy to check interactions with websites without the necessity to write any code. How is it related to coronavirus? For many businesses that switched to remote work, the question arose - how to monitor the correct operation of payments, forms, and carts on sites. This convenient startup allows you to set up such tracking.

Halo

Workplace distance and contact tracker launched by electrical worker safety startup. Halo is a wrist-worn gadget, which can be set up and implemented quickly and effortlessly, and doesn't require connection with or setup through any smartphone to operate. This gentle device reminds workers to keep a 2-meter social distance, even when focused on tasks. It's worth mentioning that location tracking doesn't take place, and staff privacy is kept. The bracelet price is $100, delivery starts on May 4th.

Tomorrow Health

A few days ago, a startup raised a $7.5 million seed round from Andreessen Horowitz. The goal of the startup is to resolve issues and problems arising from home treatment. The company seeks to simplify the process of providing patients at home with such important products as walkers and wheelchairs, ventilation, and other respiratory devices. The company connects insurance companies with customers to ensure a transparent process for the purchase and maintenance of medical equipment and supplies.

Rokid glasses for COVID-19 detection

Rokid, a Chinese AI startup, has been developing AR/VR glasses since 2014, but now technology is used to fight the coronavirus pandemic, which has greatly affected the country's economy. Besides monitoring the temperature, smart glasses also offer IoT and software solutions for facial recognition and data management. Rokid uses a B2B sales model in the USA market. T1's primary task is to help businesses, hospitals, and law enforcement with COVID-19 detection.

Quin

The Berlin startup, which raised a modest $50 thousand at the pre-seed stage and was created to help the millennials. Innovative software that allows you to achieve a secure financial future by tracking and optimizing your ETF portfolio (exchange-traded funds).

Magic Kids

An educational application for children appeared in late March and has already received $120 thousand at the pre-seed stage. A startup combines augmented reality and artificial intelligence, so children can interact and learn in a world that they see every day.

Startups pop up when someone sees a problem that they don't feel is being solved properly in the marketplace, so they risk big time to solve it. Add this to the general public's recent wake-up call that they need to adapt, try out different things, and explore new ways of distributing their product. Startups that drive innovation and development during the COVID-19 pandemic are mostly related to healthcare and remote lifestyle tools. It is definitely the silver lining in the cloud of the coronacrisis.

P.S. If you are completely tired of all the "corona-madness", check out coronasandchill.com. An online party is better than drinking at home alone.

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