Some companies almost don’t make it, until they do.

MakeMyTrip could’ve been one of them.

In this episode, Shantanu Deshpande is joined by Deep Kalra (Founder and Chairman of MakeMyTrip Limited) and Sanjeev Aggarwal (Co-Founder, Fundamentum, Helion and Daksh), one of MMT’s early investors. Kalra and Aggarwal uncover the real behind-the-scenes of building one of India’s most iconic travel companies.

This Investor-Founder bond isn’t just about travel. It’s about the courage to stick around when the road gets rough.

Let us know in the comments: What’s the toughest phase your startup has survived and how?

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Navigate the episode

00:00 Coming up

01:09 Introduction

07:55 Relationship insights between founders and investors

08:38 Foundation of Make My Trip

13:28 How Sanjeev and Deep met

15:36 Sanjeev’s view on Makemytrip Founders

16:44 Tough time Prior 2005

21:52 What are the commonalities among founders?

27:34 Deep’s perspective on Sanjeev’s contribution in IPO board

33:33 The entry of fragmented market

39:38 The great vs an average board meeting

47:56 Reasons for the decline VC and entrepreneurship

56:43 Digitalisation impacts on business opportunities

59:32 Roles of professional high-quality management

01:04:56 Importance of governance training to run a company

01:08:29 Role of quick commerce

01:13:05 Key role of product genesis

01:15:09 Closing thoughts

Gospel Confidence (Philippians 1:1-11)