Key takeaways from our COVID-19 survey below https://www.slush.org/article/50-of-startups-have-6-month-to-live-other-insights-from-our-covid-19-survey/

1) "41% of startups have seen their runways decrease due to the pandemic. As a result, without new funding, one in two startups now has just 6 months to live. To stay afloat, nearly half of these companies are expecting to raise a smaller round in 2020 than planned."

2) "First-time founders are finding it particularly hard to raise funds – hinting at the increasing importance of existing networks in an ecosystem that already revolves around whom you know. "

3) "To make matters worse, 46% of investors are shifting their focus towards follow-on investments"

4) "As expected, COVID-19 has had a material effect on employees. 40% of startups have slowed down or halted recruiting efforts. On the other hand, only one in six has been forced to lay off or terminate staff."

5) "Employees of mature startups have been affected more—nearly two-thirds of startups that employ over 10 people have downscaled recruiting efforts or their staff."

6) "Plummeting sales are driven by the difficulty of attracting new customers; 63% of startups reported a decrease in the acquisition. On the contrary, existing customers have largely stayed in place across the board, albeit reduced their spending."

7) Across the board, companies have chosen to expand their product offering over making cuts to existing activities. Smaller companies have been particularly nimble to refocus."

8) "The vast majority of investors are expecting at least a 20% decrease in valuations of early-stage startups during the remainder of 2020."

9) "Additionally, the exit market is expected to come grinding to a halt compared to last year. One fifth of respondents expect a more than 50% decrease in venture-backed exits year-over-year."

10) "78% of respondents stated that they’ve shifted their focus towards industries benefiting from the pandemic. Health & Wellbeing, Education and E-Commerce & Online Marketplaces seem to be the top gainers."

11) "If we are to believe our investor respondents, we’re in this for the long haul. 50% of investors think that deal volumes won’t normalize within the next 12 months."