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Vincent Fernando, CFA · · 10 min read10 tech investment winners for a post-Covid world
While the economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic is undeniable, data reported by key companies reveal that there are specific segments of the tech industry that are crushing it right now.
Sure, we will gradually go back to physical shopping and face-to-face interactions once the virus situation eases, but we will continue to use tech far more than we had used to.
The pandemic has helped us collectively shake off old brick-and-mortar habits and accelerate structural digital trends that would have taken years to develop otherwise. Here are 10 that will continue to thrive in a post-Covid-19 world.
1. Telemedicine
Telemedicine usage has spiked amid the pandemic. In particular, daily active users for remote medicine services have increased across Southeast Asia and Australia. Singapore-based Doctor Anywhere and MyDoc, for example, saw a 156% and 147% year-on-year increase, respectively, while Halodoc in Indonesia saw a 100% jump in March.
*Sources: SimilarWeb, Zero One*
This trend will persist long after the Covid-19 pandemic has passed, as more consumers realize the enhanced safety measures and convenience telemedicine services provide. For one, doctors are able to screen their patients’ basic health issues simply by communicating with them online. And with the ubiquity of thermometers nowadays, patients can easily provide data to healthcare professionals.
On the patients’ end, they don’t have to physically visit a clinic or the hospital whenever they feel ill, especially when what they need are only some pain relievers and rest.
2. Robotics and automation
Industrial automation is another trend that is likely to get even faster adoption.
PricewaterhouseCoopers recently conducted a survey among businesses regarding their views on fourth industrial revolution or 4IR technologies, such as factory automation and the internet of things. Of the respondents, 63% believe that these help provide protection during economic downturns.
After the experience of having to shut down operations during lockdown, factories are now more likely to accelerate their investment into using autonomous and contactless technologies to future-proof their production lines, especially in a post-pandemic but still socially distant world.
Sources: PwC, Zero One
For example, Singapore-headquartered Cognicept uses remote teleoperators to oversee its clients’ robots in industries such as hospitality and logistics. Humans take control for only 1% of the time, usually when a robot gets confused or lost. This enables robots to succeed in many use cases where their error rates are too high to allow complete 100% automation.
“Covid-19 has presented a lot of challenges. Aside from [its] tragic health impacts, the pandemic has exposed a lot of fragility in the systems that drive our economy,” says Cognicept CEO Mike Sayre. “Labor force disruption, supply chain breakdowns, and the safety of frontline workers have all driven an accelerated exploration of robotic solutions.”
3. Remote work supervision
4. Online education
5. Virtual meeting apps
6. Cloud enterprise software
7. Enterprise livestreaming
8. Micromobility
9. Fresh foods and fast-moving consumer goods ecommerce
10. Esports and gaming
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