Stuck at home? These startups can make life a little easier

The impact of COVID-19 has been swift and far-reaching, disrupting not only ‘business as usual’ but also life at home. With professionals and families practicing social distancing and self-isolation, some are finding it difficult to maintain productivity, find items they need, and keep themselves and their children healthy, engaged and active - all while trying to support businesses that are hardest hit by the virus.

We know many are eager to understand how they can safely support local startups (from a distance). With this in mind, we have curated a short list of startups that might help make your life a bit easier over the coming weeks.

We’ve started with a few companies in the Investible portfolio to kick things off, but invite you to add to our open-sourced list to grow the list of startups that provide unique solutions to challenges many of us are currently facing.  

Caring for family and friends

JuggleStreet matches families to local, on-demand sitters, nannies, tutors, before and after school care and au pairs. The platform is already a massive help for busy families but it’s taking that even further now by offering 12 months’ free childcare subscriptions to health care workers in Australia and New Zealand. Parents can also tap its network of tutors to run live, video tutoring sessions to make home-schooling more effective.

Shopping smarter

If you want to avoid the supermarkets, you can now get fresh food delivered straight to your door. Manettas Seafood has extended its online seafood market to now also home deliver meat, bread from Bourke Street Bakery as well as fruit, vegetables and pasta at a time when shoppers need it most.

Cutting down on public transport? Next time you need to head out to the grocery store or pharmacy, book a car through Car Next Door instead of hopping on the bus or train. And for those looking to earn a bit of extra income, you can rent out your own vehicle instead of letting it sit idle in the driveway.

Can’t get to the eye doctor? Head to Dimple to get your contact lenses sorted. Dimple delivers a 30-day supply of lenses each month and makes it easy to control your subscription.

Staying active and healthy

Having trouble keeping the kids active at home? Download Elanation’s app and get access to hundreds of three-minute video lessons, produced specifically for kids, by Olympians, athletes and coaches. There are options for all levels and abilities, so head out to the backyard and start perfecting your skills.  

Many might be finding it hard to avoid snacks while they’re stuck at home. But Superfastdiet is making it easier to stay on track. For just $1, you can sign up to a 28-Day membership, with access to twice-weekly coaching and advice videos from experts, tips, tools and lots of recipes and sample meal plans to keep you motivated.

Keeping the young (and young at heart) entertained

For parents who have recently added ‘teaching’ to their daily to do lists, augmented reality platform Jig Space makes it fun and easy to learn from home. It’s team has created a ‘jig’ for parents, teachers and students to help explain the science of Coronaviruses, but you can also browse its content library to keep students engaged at home.

Sharing information with family, friends and coworker

Canva makes it easy for anyone to create and share interesting, high-quality graphics. It is doing its part to #StoptheSpread by creating a range of easy-to-read, informative templates that you can download and use for free, helping everyone share accurate information on their social media channels, based on recommendations from the World Health Organization.

Finding a new role that lets you work from home

Work180 is a global jobs network that provides a transparent directory of employers who support women in the workplace. It screens employers on their commitment to offering flexible work, pay equity, parental leave and more. Whether you’re looking to work from home full-time or want to get back into the office, WORK180 will have options for you.

For anyone in the legal profession, NEXL is a good platform to know. It helps lawyers stay connected virtually and provides firms with tools to simplify collaboration on international legal matters across borders. It's also started an online COVID-19 Relief group for lawyers globally.

As we mentioned, this is just the starting point. We know there are so many other amazing startups out there with creative solutions to these current challenges.

If you are one of those startups or know one that can help, add them to our open-source spreadsheet now.