What a difference a week makes huh? Suddenly we’re reeling in the wake of corona and finding ourselves homebound. It’s not exactly how we were hoping to end the first quarter, but we’re going to make the best of it! The good news is staying home can be a good opportunity to try out some new things and hone our skills. These ingenious startups can help us come out on the other side stronger than ever:

#1 Get easy delicious meals with mealhero

One thing you’ll surely be doing a lot of these corona days is eating at home. Are you seeing A LOT of spaghetti in your future? Have no fear, mealhero is here to save the day! Mealhero delivers frozen fresh meal kits with a twist: a smart steamer that recognises the meal and heats up perfectly for you. This brainy device also keeps track of your meal stock and relays it directly to the app. You choose your food boxes, separate meals or even just the ingredients. Each week mealhero offers 30 different healthy recipes that are ready in no time, so you can get back to playing Twister with the kids (or your roommate).

> Mealhero delivers all over Flanders, Brussels and the Netherlands for free, so you don’t have to brave that supermarket line. Get started here.

#2 Get cyber attack savvy with Phished

Don’t know what to do with your extra free time at home? Make the best of social distancing by honing your phishing skills! No, we’re not talking about trying to net your goldfish. We mean recognising phishing attacks trying to scam you out of money or hack your computer. These are getting more and more sophisticated. Scammers are now playing on corona fears by parading as banks, the government, even the WHO to get people’s private data. But you won’t be fooled for a second once you train with Phished, who offer automated phishing simulations based on your knowledge level. The training gets more challenging as you get more savvy at recognising attacks. By the time you get back to the office, you’ll be a pro!

> Try Phished for free with 25 of your colleagues for 14 days here.

#3 Find a new gig via JuuNoo

JuuNoo founder Chris van de Voorde built on his expertise developing expo stands to create attractive interior walls that are reversible and eco-friendly. When corona shut down offices and events across Belgium, he saw his sector screech to a standstill. A lot of people suddenly found themselves technically unemployed. So together with Sofie Vandenbriele of Bulik Standbouw Chris got busy: they launched the platform togetheragainstcorona.be where all kinds of companies and underemployed workers and freelancers can connect and join forces in this tricky period.

> Looking for a gig or need an extra pair of hands? Check out #TogetherAgainstCorona!

#4 Be a good neighbour with Hoplr

Feeling isolated in quarantine? Or want to know what you can do to help out in your community? Hoplr can help! Get in touch with your neighbors, discuss local issues or find out who needs help getting groceries with the social network for your neighbourhood. Each member of your local group is address verified and there’s no advertising. Hoplr has already seen an outpouring of heart warming initiatives on the platform in the wake of corona. There are endless ways to contribute!

> We need to be there for each other more than ever. Hook up with Hoplr here.

#5 Play the corona prevention game with Play it Safe

Game-based learning platform Play it Safe makes safety training fun and easy. Employees can learn fire prevention, first aid, accident prevention and more. Businesses see real results with lowered accidents and absences. And in the time of corona? We can all play the free corona prevention game to keep ourselves safe and help contain the virus. Tons of fun and a lot more useful than all those hours on Xbox!

> Learn how to defeat coronavirus together so we can all get back to work here.

With a little creativity and solidarity, we’ve got this. Want some inspiration? Check out this website to see what our startups are up to!