Hyderabad: As the second wave of Coronavirus rips through India with ferocity, entrepreneurs and investors across India's start-up Ecosystem have come together to mobilize funds and resources to help the country.
ACT Grants
The Action Covid-19 Team Grants (ACT Grants) has announced a plan to raise Rs 75 crore for home health management, oxygen solutions, vaccinations and supplement medical workforce.
ACT Grants was founded last year amid the first wave of the Covid-19 virus outbreak when 34 founders along with 44 investment funds including Accel, Sequoia Capital, Matrix Partners, Kalaari Capital, LetsVenture, among many others, banded together to leverage innovative thinking and collaborative action to tackle challenges posed by the pandemic by creating a Rs 500-crore philanthropic fund.
Amazon donates oxygen concentrators
Amazon is donating 10,000 oxygen concentrators and BiPAP machines to hospitals and public institutions to augment their capacity to help Covid-19, infected patients, across multiple cities in India. Amazon has joined hands with ACT Grants, Temasek Foundation, Pune Platform for COVID-19 Response (PPCR) and other partners to urgently airlift over 8,000 oxygen concentrators and 500 BiPAP machines from Singapore.
Additionally, Amazon India is also procuring over 1,500 oxygen concentrators and other critical medical equipment in partnership with non-profits including Swasth, Concern India and impact organisations like ACT Grants and Sattva Consulting. The company said that the organisations are working closely with the Indian government to expedite the entry of these oxygen concentrators and BiPAP machines into the country.
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Microsoft announces relief aid
The Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in a tweet that the company will continue to use its voice, resources, and technology to aid relief efforts and support the purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices. Nadella also said that he is grateful to the US government for mobilising efforts to help India get through the COVID-19 crisis. US President Joe Biden today assured India and its people of providing all assistance, including sending necessary medical life-saving supplies and equipment’s, in order to help India combat the deadly COVID-19 crisis.
“I am heartbroken by the current situation in India. I’m grateful the US government is mobilizing to help. Microsoft will continue to use its voice, resources, and technology to aid relief efforts, and support the purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices," Nadella said in a tweet on Monday.
Google annouces Rs. 135 crore Relief Fund
Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai has announced Rs. 135 crore funding support for India’s current pandemic battle, stating he was ‘devastated to see the worsening COVID crisis’ in the country.
Zomato
Food tech company Zomato along with Delhivery rolled out the 'Feeding India' programme under its 'Help Save My India' initiative to source oxygen concentrators and related supplies and supply to hospitals and families in need. The company aims to raise Rs 50 crore to help save hundreds of thousands of lives ravaged by the virus.
Paytm
Paytm said it aims to raise Rs 10 crore and import 3,000 oxygen concentrators for government and private hospitals, COVID-19 care centres, NGOs, and resident welfare associations, as part of its initiative called 'Oxygen for India'.
CRED
Bengaluru-based CRED has also launched an initiative to raise funds to buy oxygen concentrators for healthcare organisations. The startup has invited its members to donate their CRED coins towards buying oxygen-related equipment, which will be facilitated by Milaap. The initiative aims to raise funds to procure equipment to produce one billion litres of oxygen.
Mission Million Air by KVN Foundation
Founded by serial entrepreneur and investor K Ganesh, KVN Foundation launched Feed My City initiative last year where over 400 volunteers, 50,000 retail & 60 institutional donors, served over 58 lakh meals to migrant labourers. KVN, in partnership with Portea and Razorpay, now wants to provide oxygen to the poor free of cost in Bengaluru and Mumbai.
Hemkunt Foundation
Hemkunt Foundation, through its network of volunteers, is distributing Oxygen Cylinders to COVID-19 patients only for free.
Swasth
Swasth, a non-profit alliance working to strengthen healthcare systems in India has teamed up with ACT Grants to procure and import oxygen concentrators for India.
Mission Oxygen
This is an initiative by a community of founders and entrepreneurs across Delhi/NCR to assist hospitals that are running out of medical oxygen. The collective has come together to raise Rs 7.5 crore from over 7,000 good samaritans across India. So far, the group has ordered 800+ oxygen cylinders that will be delivered before May 1.
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It will be procuring 1,000 10L oxygen concentrators directly from Chinese manufacturers, they said. Deliveries to 400+ needy clinics, government hospitals and small nursing homes in Delhi/NCR will start on April 28. The collective is being run by the founders of Lattice, Designhill, Satvacart, BeatO, BreatheEasy, Cuttlfish among others.
