HACKER Q&A
📣 gnicholas

Has Covid-19 helped your business?


Although huge swaths of the economy have been severely damaged by the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying shutdowns, some sectors (ahem, Zoom...) are benefiting.

What are the sectors that are benefiting, and if you run a startup whose business is increasing, what are you doing to (1) make the most of the opportunity but also (2) not be predatory in a time of need?


  👤 gnicholas Accepted Answer ✓
I run an edtech startup, and there's definitely a sense that companies in this industry will benefit from the school shutdowns because it forces schools to adopt tech-focused tools to do many of the things they previously did in an analog way.

With the shutdowns, I saw dramatically increased interest in my startup's tech, [1] which makes reading on screen easier and more cognitively efficient. I've heard from hundreds of teachers, parents, and students interested in using our tools because of the forced remote learning situation.

Almost two weeks ago, I decided to offer our popular Chrome extension for free to any student or teacher. We've had requests come in from all over — from Berkeley to Burkina Faso, and it's been awesome to hear from so many people who find the tech helpful.

I'm sure the percent of schools that will purchase a license at the end of the free period will be small (school purchasing/procurement is very slow), but hopefully we'll be able to figure out a way to establish continuity for the students who are using the tools and benefiting from it.

1: https://www.beelinereader.com/education