There’s no doubt that COVID-19 has changed our daily lives. Here at Crunchbase, we recognize and appreciate how lucky we are to be able to function as a remote team and adapt our company goals to respond to changing circumstances.

 

Though we are not the medical workers on the front lines fighting this pandemic, or the researchers tirelessly working to discover a vaccine, our teams were quick to think about how we can use the resources we do have in our little corner of the world to help business and entrepreneurs navigate these uncertain times.

 

From hosting a “COVID-19 Hack Day” to donating to and spreading awareness about nonprofits making an impact, here are a few details about our COVID-19 response thus far:

 

  • Remote work: Our employees began working from home on March 9 – earlier than most companies in our community – to keep our employees and community safe and reduce potential exposure to the virus.
  • COVID-19 Hack Day: We dedicated an entire work day to find ways to give back to the community and use our strengths for good on “COVID-19 Hack Day.”
  • News coverage: Our news team has been hard at work covering the impact of COVID-19 on businesses and startups, but has also made time to keep things positive and cover startups giving back in this time of crisis.
  • COVID-19 resources: 
    • Blog post: Our CEO, Jager McConnell, created a resource blog post for Crunchbase users and visitors that includes helpful lists to find potential prospects for businesses, information about where to go for industry-specific news and updates, tips from experts, recruiting and hiring resources, and ways to give back to the community in this time of crisis.
    • Expert advice: We called on our network of entrepreneurs and business leaders who have experienced previous economic downturns to share advice on how to keep businesses afloat and compiled a resource center for people to find helpful information.
    • Vlog: Our CEO also published his first ever vlog, on the PPP loan – what it is, who qualifies for it, and why it isn’t just “free money.”
  • Charitable donations: 
    • Upon going fully remote, we reworked an existing weekly award program for our employees. Each week two employees are chosen by their colleagues for outstanding work and now win the opportunity to contribute $500 to a charity of their choice. Crunchbase also matches any additional donations to the charity picks of the week if additional employees donate. In less than two months, we have contributed over $8,000 to about 20 local and global nonprofits.

 

At the beginning of April, we made a donation to Direct Relief to provide PPE and essential medical items to frontline responders.