How Ixigo Won India's Travel Market | Aloke Bajpai (Ixigo)

"Why can't we all just work without salary for a few months?"

Imagine facing near-certain bankruptcy during the 2008 financial crisis, only to have your team propose this solution. Aloke Bajpai shares the incredible story of how Ixigo's team rallied, taking pay cuts (with founders taking none), extending their runway, and ultimately surviving to become a market leader. It’s a powerful testament to building a strong company culture and the importance of transparency during adversity.

About the Guest:

Aloke Bajpai is the Co-founder & Group CEO of Ixigo, India's largest Online Travel Aggregator (OTA) by active users and app downloads, and the 2nd largest by revenue. An alumnus of IIT Kanpur and INSEAD, Aloke bootstrapped Ixigo for its first 5 years with less than $1 million, navigating multiple near-death experiences to build a leading travel platform focused on the 'Next Billion Users' in India.

Key Insights from the Conversation:

• Early Sparks: How growing up in multicultural Kenya and an early fascination with computers shaped his journey.
• The "Swades" Moment: How the movie Swades and Steve Jobs' Stanford speech inspired his return to India and entrepreneurial path.
• Pivoting Smart: Shifting from an initial B2B SaaS idea to a B2C metasearch model to tap into India's growing internet user base.
• Frugality as a Moat: Why operating leanly was crucial for survival and became a core part of Ixigo's DNA.
• Blue Ocean Thinking: Focusing relentlessly on customer needs rather than competition to build a unique product and brand.
• Resilience & Team: Overcoming the 2008 crisis through transparency and incredible team commitment.
• Unconventional Growth: Achieving significant user growth with minimal marketing spend, relying on SEO, product innovation, and early adoption of social media.

Chapters (Evenly Spaced):

• 0:00:00 - Inspiration: Swades & Steve Jobs' 2005 Speech
• 0:05:10 - Growing Up in Kenya & Falling in Love with Computers
• 0:10:20 - Return to India & The IIT Kanpur Experience
• 0:15:30 - First Job at Amadeus: Life on the French Riviera
• 0:20:40 - Why an MBA? The INSEAD Experience & Asia Focus
• 0:25:50 - Ixigo Genesis: From B2B Idea to B2C Metasearch
• 0:31:00 - Early Funding: Struggles, Angels & the First Seed Cheque
• 0:36:10 - Surviving the 2008 Crisis: Transparency & Team Sacrifice
• 0:41:20 - Monetization & Frugal Growth Hacks
• 0:46:30 - Ixigo's Secret Sauce: Customer Focus & Blue Ocean Strategy
• 0:51:40 - The Long Game: IPO Ambitions?
• 0:56:50 - Aloke's "Ikigai": Building a Lasting Legacy

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