Creating Coronahub: how the virus outbreak is catalysing new business ventures
As business struggles to find a new place for itself in this ‘new normal’ caused by the coronavirus outbreak, the fallout of job redundancies and isolation is paving an unexpected path to new, unexpected, business ventures. Businesses, as such, have been part of the discussion at The Drum’s Digital Transformation Festival.
Set in response to the outbreak, Coronahub is an online community that is designed to help people through this time, whether it be finding a new job, support or a well-needed laugh over a funny meme.
“Coronahub was a way we could connect people around the world - every country,” explained David Markovich, the founder of the online community. “It's essentially a virtual conference or virtual party where people are there, they care about you. It's around it around a common theme.”
Markovich is well versed in setting up communities, as he is the mind behind Slack digital communities Online Geniuses and 18percent. “My background is building community,” he said. “I've always been doing, I actually run two right now one for marketing and one for mental health.”
Markovich explained that he noticed that there were a lot of people looking for jobs, and a lot of people looking to hire, and the world needed a platform to link it up.
“People think that there's just a decrease in jobs all around, there's actually a huge increase in certain sectors,” he contends. “So we're trying to mix and match people that are hiring to people that are have been laid off.”
He also spoke of the support component to the community. As a lot of the business world grapple with working from home, getting used to not being around a lively office needs getting used to.
“If you just need to chat with someone, or you need to support the Coronahub links you up with other,” Markovich explained, adding that there is also “a meme section where you could just laugh.
On the fact that Markovich has potentially stumbled across a whole new business - a jobs platform, where people can both socialize with people who have a common issue and find jobs that actually meet their skillset - he said that he doesn't "want to look at it as a business, but as a way of giving back."
However, he did admit that "If it turns into something that would be awesome."
Check out more interviews and insights from The Drum's Digital Transformation Festival schedule here.