Startup Ideas For The Post Covid World with Sramana Mitra

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed consumer behavior in a major way. As we move through the virus-era, much more will likely change. With this realization, we ran a poll in June 2020 asking which topics readers would like me to cover and discuss. The overwhelming winner was startup ideas. So, after much thought, here are eight of my most recent startup ideas. My hope is to stimulate and help my fellow entrepreneurs catalyze these ideas into profitable businesses.
1. K-12 Education – In the post-Covid world, a new learning paradigm needs to emerge. Here I detail a Unicorn idea that can attract venture capital.
2. Meaningful Friendships Through Literature and Film – My own literary group, like many others, has had to go virtual and operate through a video conferencing platform in the wake of the Covid menace. The startup idea outlined here is born out of this experience with an eye on the isolation that humanity is facing in the post Covid world.
3. Distributing the Workforce – One of the unambiguous trends of the Covid era is the success of work-from-home for certain industry sectors such as Tech, Finance, Legal, Consulting, etc. The Unicorn startup idea outlined here involves managing this transition and its associated nuances.
4. Facilitating Travel Experiences – There are two major trends that the world will need to take in stride in the Covid era: air travel will become expensive and people will be working remotely. The startup idea addressing these trends as explained here would be a $5-$10 Billion market cap company, a Unicorn.
5. Artists and Collectors Shift Online – As you may know, I have a special interest in Art, and have observed its dynamics for many years. I have concluded that the time has come for Artists and Collectors to move online and interact in a fluid marketplace. The idea that I discuss here is a Unicorn idea with the potential to become a highly valued company that would achieve a billion dollar plus valuation.
6. Home-Based Healthcare – Certain sectors of industry are facing extraordinary levels of job loss in the post-Covid era. While some of these jobs may come back, it is widely believed that some trends are permanent. The retail sector faces one of the greatest shifts: the move to online shopping seems irreversible. The startup idea detailed here facilitates the retraining of service sector employees as healthcare professionals.
7. Restaurants Delivering Prepared Food as a Subscription – In the Covid era, people have been forced to cook a lot more than they were used to. Some have embraced home-cooking. Others have found it to be a burden. On the other hand, restaurants are facing an existential moment, gasping for survival. I believe for a certain segment of the population, a subscription service to a set of restaurants would work really well, and share my vision for this startup here.
8. Managing Philanthropy – In a world economy devastated by Covid, threatened by climate change, ravaged by simultaneous natural disasters, the need for philanthropy has never been higher. The startup idea shared here is a philanthropy management software solution (SaaS) that would be sold to banks with wealth management practices.
In addition, the course covers segments on sector specific startup ideas and methods of ideation.