Prediction #10: Obsession with Tracking and cleanliness will lead to entirely new industries.

As we continue lifting the shelter in place and open up more venues and businesses without a vaccine, companies are going to become more concerned about maintaining a safe and clean environment.

Consumer demand is going to drive the businesses’ success and consumer fear of catching Covid is going to drive their decisions. Consumers will make judgments about how safe a location is before venturing in, and many will not enter a workplace or retail establishment if they do not feel safe.

At the same time, given the possible severe consequences of a high-risk person catching covid and given the ability to trace its origin, Companies are going to be concerned about huge liabilities of a spread in their location. (Imagine the lawsuits if a company did not have great sanitary practices and caused covid spread).

As a result, venues will have a strong incentive to a) maintain a high level of sanitation and b) signal that they have a high level of sanitation.

This will spur on a huge new industry of tracking/cleanliness and certification. A New York Times article recently discussed a number of new businesses and procedures but this is just the beginning.  

Expect a large number of innovations and businesses that capitalize on a venue’s desire to keep its patrons safe and signal that they are safe.

Quick Opportunities (note: many of these are already happening!):

• Tools that can give you the danger level of getting Covid in your immediate area. (i.e. something that may alert you when Covid starts spiking near you).
• Inexpensive Daily Covid tests using Saliva and tools for tracking that within companies.

• Non-touch electric soap dispensers with timers built-in (a light changes from red to green when 20 seconds have expired). (Apple trumped me on this one with their automatic timer…)
• AI tools that help determine if people are 6 feet away or more and are wearing masks.
• UV LIGHT devices that can scan and disinfect areas quickly and at scale.
• New ventilation and filtration systems
• New Certification businesses that rank the safety of different venues based on their policies. (think of it as a Covid version of a Restaurant safety rating system).
• New businesses or segments of businesses focused on cleanliness/sanitation processes
• New “Covid Sanitation” service businesses to clean out venues after someone was found to be infected.

If you currently are working on one of these opportunities or want to work on them, please contact me at charlie at iamcharliegraham dot com