Unlock 1.0: Startup innovations empowering business revival in India

Entrepreneurs and innovators across India have responded quickly to the challenge posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, in these bleak times, Indian startups have risen to the fore. They are creating or reworking their product offerings to meet the COVID-19 challenge and truly become a force multiplier for the efforts against coronavirus.

1. VAMS Global for Visitor management

VAMS Global is a visitor management system. It has come up with its innovation during the pandemic. VAMS SafeGuard can scan body temperature and record it, read faces with mask compliance, the embedded face and palm recognition sensors provide 100% handsfree user authentication for various application including time and attendance, access control, visitor management event management, contractor modules etc.

Also, it uses AI to allow entry of visitors only who are complying to all COVID protection measures. The VAMS Safeguard Network version allows no-touch, no-queue visitor entry. It takes the temperature and scans for masks in employees, visitors, contractors, pre appointments, Aarogya Setu Declaration, customized questionnaire for visitors for traceability, emergency notification and real-time visibility of people inside of the premise, to maintain social distancing.

2. Aiisma for contact tracing

Aiisma is an India born data marketplace, rewards users for consensually and anonymously trading their data via the Aiisma App. In light of the current Covid-19 situation, it has also expedited the release of its health mapping feature for individuals, to manually share and monitor health insights. Increased use of the app will enable authorities with pro-active responses, due to sudden variations in the data pool. It also intends to release a trigger function for authorities to send anonymous alerts to any Aiisma users who might have come in contact with any positively tested carrier.

Also, users can consensually and anonymously trade their behavioural data for rewards. For this, they will receive extra compensation for viewing ads on the marketplace. Businesses access this data through the Aiisma dashboard in a legal and economical format, to create relevant products and services offerings. With its #mydatamyasset philosophy, Aiisma intends to create a nationwide trend of returning the power of data to users.

3. FLOOR for Live Interactions

10Times is backed by IndiaMart. They have launched “FLOOR”, an innovative virtual event solution to fill the gap, unaddressed by conferencing tools like Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, Zoho. The trillion-dollar event industry is at stake in the wake of the massive Coronavirus outbreak. So, single session video live-streaming solutions cannot address its needs.

FLOOR, as the name implies, brings together the different aspects of an in-person event. These could be from the reception or the networking lounge. Using multiple live-conferencing formats as building blocks, this virtual solution enables one-to-one, one-to-many and many-to-many interactions to build almost any type of events of a virtual ‘FLOOR’.

It unlocks the much-needed option for event planners world-over to leverage their brands virtually, in parallel to their physical events in due time. Event planners can effortlessly add and manage speakers, sponsors, or exhibitor profiles through the program's onboarding features. The ticketing, space booking and sponsor signup open the essential monetization channels to keep the show going. Additionally, paid subscription options to access content and session recordings opens new opportunities for event planners.

4. Pragati for MSME

Indifi Technologies is one of India’s leading online lending platforms. It has recently announced the launch of Pragati, country’s first collaborative resource centre for SMEs, small businesses, and start-ups. It leverages a collaborative and partnership-based approach. So. the platform aims to create a pool of financial and non-financial resources to empower 15-20 million SMEs struggling with revival plans in the post-Covid-19 economy.

An extension of Indifi’s value proposition, the launch of Pragati follows close on heels of Indifi’s recent partnership with SaasBOOMi to cater to SaaS-based business and with TiE Delhi-NCR to empower start-ups through revenue-based financing. With Pragati, Indifi aims to cover all the segments of the MSME ecosystem. Moving ahead, Pragati will add more financial and non-financial products to not only expand its core offerings but also to attract industries that currently remain underserved.

5. Shiprocket for Ecommerce Shipping:

Shiprocket is India’s largest eCommerce shipping and enablement platform for SMBs. In the light of Covis-19, the technology powers shipping and fulfilment for SMEs. It also helps D2C retailers and social commerce sellers in India. With 20 courier partners on board, the brand enables pan-India as well as international shipping deliveries. Its shipping solutions are available across 26,000 pin codes within India and 220 countries across the world.

In addition to offering Shipping Services, Shiprocket also provides a technology stack to help retailers integrate their shopping websites on Shopify, Magento, Woocommerce, Zoho, and others for workflow, inventory, and order management. It has a multicarrier API that allows sellers to manage orders, print shipping labels, and avail tracking information from multiple providers. Shiprocket also offers state-of-the-art fulfilment solutions.

The brand also provides a robust post-purchase experience to consumers, resulting in higher engagement and lower RTO (failed deliveries). Aside from being a shipping solutions provider, Shiprocket also serves as a Cash on the Delivery payment gateway. The company recently ventured into the fin-tech space with their lending product ‘Early COD’. Today, Shiprocket is the force behind the country's 1.5 lakh sellers. These generate a GMV of more than $500M annually on the platform. The brand delivers packets to nearly 25M consumers annually and is growing 3X year on year.