The second pandemic wave a spoilsport amid startup boom in Hyderabad: Covid Chaos

The second wave of the coronavirus pandemic is hitting startups, with many companies having dozens test positive in a few days. Founders are prioritizing employee care, even as startups have parallelly been on a funding tear and investors have been more aggressive then ever before.

Indian startups have been on an unprecedented tear, growing and raising money like never before, even prompting questions about a valuation bubble, but the second wave of the coronavirus infections now threatens to derail some of that momentum.

Several startups in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Delhi have seen dozens of employees test positive for the virus, and in many cases, key leaders and even founders have been down with the virus. Founders are falling back on their experience of surviving the first wave of the virus last April and are trying to prioritise employee safety and well-being above all else.