12 useful links - your COVID-19 survival kit
By 2020, humankind has already digitised pretty much of the everyday life. Food - digitised, as you need only a phone and an app to order your dinner - Glovo, Wolt, UberEats and Bolt in some countries. Meetings - digitised, video-conferencing is on each step now, on laptop and mobile, starting with Google's Hangouts ending with Instagram calls. One can share documents, sign documents, collaborate, organise team meetings and even team building together using free and accessible online tools. This means many (or even most) of our work routine can be done online.
And now, as you got some extra time at home at your laptop, you can spend it usefully - listen to video courses, try and test some tools that are now free or discounted, build your community and think how we are going to rebuild our economy after the crisis ends.
Self-education & tools for remote work
450 Ivy League courses you can take online right now for free
Ivy League consists of the world's top universities and you can learn their materials online just sitting on your sofa, very convenient. If you choose to "Audit" the course - you won't get any certificate for the courses and, at the same time, it will be absolutely free. This works on such platforms as EdX, Coursera, FutureLearn, Khan Academy and so on. Some courses are now also available for free on Udacity.
70 online tools, courses and resources that got free or heavily-discounted during the COVID-19
This is called "Staying home kit". Kind people collected resources that will help you keep your mind in fit and improve your work.
Companies offering free or discounted tools during COVID-19
How to switch a company to remote in a short time
These are collaborative efforts of the entrepreneurs helping each other with free and discounted tools and expertise regarding moving the business to the online format. You can get a lot of useful information from these 2 sources, and may also contribute and join them if you have what to offer.
Google and Microsoft are giving away enterprise conferencing tools
Easy to learn, intuitive tools for organising meetings with your team, partners, suppliers and customers.
Find ideas and advice on how to save your business
Solidarity action from Georgian companies
This is how Georgian business is trying to cope with the crisis and quarantine policy. Join the Facebook group, offer your services, delivery, knowledge, or ask for ideas and advice regarding your company survival.
Funding opportunities and more
Facebook Small Business Grants Program
Facebook decided to give grants to small business to help it run further. The program is not finalised yet but if you need funding - register on the website to get the news and the offer.
Up to $1M for each startup tackling the coronavirus crisis
And this is not the only fund offering money equity-free to the startups that can figure out how to stop the spread of the virus, how to help companies now with a remote mode of work, or how to stabilize the economy after the quarantine ends.
Y Combinator fast track and funding for startups tackling the COVID-19 problems
Y Combinator, the world's top startup accelerator in the US, now wants to invest in startups working on:
- Tests / diagnostics
- Treatments and vaccines
- Equipment for hospitals
- Monitoring and data infrastructure
They will fast-track a handful of promising COVID-19 startups through their application process and fund them immediately.
Global hackathon to build the world after the virus
18-19 April join the global force to ideate the solutions for our future. This event needs each and every one of us - teachers, musicians, students, engineers, artists and so on.
And the hackathon from Georgian Innovation and Technology Agency - don't miss it out!
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To summarise, we want to say that this hard times we should better spend with our families and focus on the things that matter in our lives. We should all virtually stay together and help each other, as no matter what happens next - we'll all need somebody to give us a hand (even online). Stay safe!