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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Six years is all it took for LoungeBuddy to go from creation to a sale to one of the loyalty biggest brands: American Express .The idea behind the company is actually simple - a booking app for airport lounges - but, like many startups, LoungeBuddy's story is not without a few twists and turns along the way.From tweaking the pitch deck when pitching to investors to settling on a brand name, LoungeBuddy's evolution is an example of having a very focused vision of solving a problem that exists with solid technology, good partnerships and excellent design.LoungeBuddy's CEO and co-founder is Tyler Dikman, who created the company after a number of jobs, including seven years at a video streaming business.He's not short of an opinion or two about the venture capital market, as well as describing how the eventual sale came about.Dikman (who now goes by the title of vice president of global premium products and benefits at Amex) 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Six years is all it took for LoungeBuddy to go from creation to a sale to one of the loyalty biggest brands: American Express .The idea behind the company is actually simple - a booking app for airport lounges - but, like many startups, LoungeBuddy's story is not without a few twists and turns along the way.From tweaking the pitch deck when pitching to investors to settling on a brand name, LoungeBuddy's evolution is an example of having a very focused vision of solving a problem that exists with solid technology, good partnerships and excellent design.LoungeBuddy's CEO and co-founder is Tyler Dikman, who created the company after a number of jobs, including seven years at a video streaming business.He's not short of an opinion or two about the venture capital market, as well as describing how the eventual sale came about.Dikman (who now goes by the title of vice president of global premium products and benefits at Amex) 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Six years is all it took for LoungeBuddy to go from creation to a sale to one of the loyalty biggest brands: American Express .The idea behind the company is actually simple - a booking app for airport lounges - but, like many startups, LoungeBuddy's story is not without a few twists and turns along the way.From tweaking the pitch deck when pitching to investors to settling on a brand name, LoungeBuddy's evolution is an example of having a very focused vision of solving a problem that exists with solid technology, good partnerships and excellent design.LoungeBuddy's CEO and co-founder is Tyler Dikman, who created the company after a number of jobs, including seven years at a video streaming business.He's not short of an opinion or two about the venture capital market, as well as describing how the eventual sale came about.Dikman (who now goes by the title of vice president of global premium products and benefits at Amex) 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Six years is all it took for LoungeBuddy to go from creation to a sale to one of the loyalty biggest brands: American Express .The idea behind the company is actually simple - a booking app for airport lounges - but, like many startups, LoungeBuddy's story is not without a few twists and turns along the way.From tweaking the pitch deck when pitching to investors to settling on a brand name, LoungeBuddy's evolution is an example of having a very focused vision of solving a problem that exists with solid technology, good partnerships and excellent design.LoungeBuddy's CEO and co-founder is Tyler Dikman, who created the company after a number of jobs, including seven years at a video streaming business.He's not short of an opinion or two about the venture capital market, as well as describing how the eventual sale came about.Dikman (who now goes by the title of vice president of global premium products and benefits at Amex) 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It took a fairly long time, at least in internet years, for the next wave of travel tools to hit the market.There is a lot more to a trip than a flight and a hotel, especially when an entire trip is considered, yet the established online travel agencies and metasearch engines steered away from trying to connect all the elements of a journey.Getting reliable, technical access to inventory from rail and bus services may have been the trigger in the late-2000s, when the first brands emerged that attempted to connect the dots.Door-to-door, multi-modal - a number of terms have been used over the years since.One of the brands that has emerged through the startup landscape in this area is Omio, which was formed in 2012 under its original name of GoEuro.Under its founder and CEO Naran Shaam, Omio has quietly grown from its base in Germany to become the largest-funded of the multi-modal online travel brands.Almost $300 million in investment has given it the chance to make some major strategic decisions at the right time, including switching to an online travel agency model and go all in on mobile.Shaam joins us for episode six 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Naren Shaam, founder of Omio, shares insights on integrating all modes of transport globally and transitioning to a mobile-first approach. He discusses challenges in the travel industry, market timing, fundraising, and the European startup ecosystem.

Naren Shaam, founder of Omio, discusses the challenges of connecting all elements of a trip, from flights to rail and bus services. He talks about the evolution of Omio from a meta search engine to a mobile booking platform, focusing on improving user experience and connecting supply and demand in the ground transportation market.