8B. Stuart Crighton of Cleartrip... on finding the first customer

The story behind Cleartrip is one based on a series of moves to do things differently to the competition, constantly thinking ahead and a small degree of luck.

Launched in 2006, Cleartrip's co-founders including CEO Stuart Crighton had been able to see what the global online travel agency marketplace had been doing in its formative years, as well as observe fellow domestic player MakeMyTrip's first few years in India.

But Crighton and his team wanted to do things differently, such as taking a simpler approach to design and focusing on key areas in the sector to get the brand a point of difference.

Like most startups, Cleartrip's early years are full of intriguing and, especially in Crighton's case, often very funny tales.

The storytelling does not mask any such lack of seriousness about the business, however, with the company acknowledging at important moments that it should shift and target an entirely new region, despite the enormous domestic market it launched in.

Crighton joins us for the latest episode of How I Got Here.

HIGH is a weekly show produced by PhocusWire and Mozio, aimed at getting the inside stories behind startups and innovation in travel and transportation.

Other episodes: on PhocusWire and Mozio.

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