Assisted Future

Approx Day 100. Plus or Minus 10 days. Honestly have lost count. But what i do remember and what has stayed with me, are the 2 types of people who i am observing at close quarters reacting to how the 100 days have played out.

First lot is the children. In my chats over the last 100 days with friends and family, there is a recurring theme. That children have adjusted remarkably well to this new normal. (Shoot, i was trying to avoid that word). But honestly i think they have. Look around, apart from the physical exercise, kids have gone online in all senses. We have let go the screen restrictions as everything has moved online. For my kid, School, Library, Dance Class, Guitar Glass, Karate Class, Coding Class. There are calls from school friends, teachers, building friends, family friends etc. They have taken all of this and more and made a successful switch to this way of life. They don't need too much assistance from us other than a laptop and a blazing fast internet. Rest they are figuring out on their own. Hence i am hearing a lot of noise about all the business that are going to do super well due to this TG. Namely Edtech, OTT, Telecom, Gaming et al

But i think it is the other lot that i want to bet on. The other lot you say. I mean the Senior Citizens. I actually mean anyone above 50, at best above 55 years. Why do i say do..Look at the evidence of what is happening to that age group

1. Ordering Everything online is being rapidly experimented with - Food delivery was first of the block. But today, Grocery, Pharmacy, Clothing - Myntra types are first port of call.
2. My dad is looking at online ways of Banking, Stock broking, doing rental agreements, filing his taxes, sending money online, buying MF's and Life Insurance online. And he needs help to do all of this. Everyone is reaching out but it is too much for him. He needs assistance.
3. My MIL is cooking her way out of this mess. She cooks everyday and that keeps her sane. I was hearing about this peer to peer app in a Mumbai society where you cook and people within the society order and pay for the food that comes out of your kitchen. She wants to do this but she needs help. Assistance.
4. Another one is the handy-man space. Electronics, electrical things, taps and toilets keep getting used and need constant maintenance. Earlier he has a Raju Bhai for everything. Now Raju bhai is absconding and he does not know where to go. He is looking for a solution where he goes to 1 guy and that guy does everything for him and he needs to be a trustworthy guy. Currently no one fits the bill
5. The other one which makes sense to me is the Dunzo types. He is above 60 years and we don't want him to travel out. But he needs to constantly repair things, xerox stuff, deliver things to us. A Dunzo campaign targeted to him should work.
6. Mobility - Older parents have cars but no drivers. Ola and Uber are trying to get people to come out and they will. In the meanwhile, if there was a Driver service which told him that your car, your destination. I just drive and here is my latest health score. There is a chance he may consider.

I bet there are many more that you guys are going to think of and add. I genuinely feel that this assistance that older folks needs is a space worth investigating and investing in. They have the money, the time and are facing some serious problems. What are your thoughts.?

#tryingtothinkclearly #UrbanProblems#UrbanClap#Uber#Ola#Dunzo#AMFI