Thread by @NileshBala4

As part of the #TweetStormTuesday was thinking about the less obvious opportunities from the #COVIDー19 #pandemic

👇A thread on why #Indian #B2B #SaaS companies can make the most of this tragic situation and help usher #SMB companies around the world into the #digital age.

1/ In this world of #lockdown and #WFH governments everywhere have been proposing large #economic #StimulusPlan packages. #COVIDー19 has caught many businesses off guard.

2/ While industries like travel, hospitality and real estate were unfortunately predictable casualties, many small/medium sized (SME) companies across sectors have been disproportionately impacted. These companies have put off digitizing operations and are completely gridlocked.

3/ Employers have done the right thing and shut shop (physically) but have been powerless to keep productivity alive. Employees, unable to contribute remotely have been sitting idle – wondering if the next paycheck will show up. A palpable tension.

4/ If there is any upside to this destructive pandemic, it could be that businesses will now rethink their digital transformation plans. Per @McKinsey excellent #COVIDー19 briefing notes, reimagining the “next normal” & its implications is paramount. Digital is key.

5/ Businesses will need to future-proof and truly embrace digitization. For startups focused on guiding these companies into the digital age- this represents an unexpected opportunity. A chance to reframe the value proposition of online vs offline and digital vs analog.

6/ We @WBridgeVentures believe digitally native start-ups - competitively built in India, with strong product chops and deep business expertise can help SMB companies globally bring operations online. A chance to build a #Zoom from India.

7/ In my medium post (below), I look at the cardinal questions facing these startups and delve deeper into what we @WBridgeVentures think might be interesting SaaS GTM models for the global SMB market.

link.medium.com/ZPsK4kpvk5

8/ If you’re building something along these lines or something radically different that solves this scale problem, pls DM! Would love to brainstorm and hear you out :)

@mkheterpal @ravipkaushik @AishSriram @sriramganesh7