
Ask HN: Has Covid-19 helped your business? - gnicholas
Although huge swaths of the economy have been severely damaged by the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying shutdowns, some sectors (ahem, Zoom...) are benefiting.<p>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?
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gnicholas
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](https://www.beelinereader.com/education)

