Tag: Keyur Joshi

  • MakeMyTrip – How the Company is Making Travels Hassle-Free?

    Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations.

    More Indians are now booking tickets and hotels online than ever before. Nothing can beat the comfort of being able to plan a trip from the comfort of your home. You can check out the prices and compare them to get the best deal. A company that holds a major share in the Indian online travel industry is MakeMyTrip. Since 2000, MakeMyTrip has helped millions of Indians book railway tickets, airline tickets, bus tickets, reserve hotel rooms, and buy holiday packages.

    Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, MakeMyTrip is one of the most popular and dependable Indian travel companies that helps the people of India avail of online travel services that include airline tickets, domestic and international holiday packages, and reservations of hotels, railways, and bus tickets.

    If you want to know more about the Story of MakeMyTrip India, its Founders and Team, Growth, History, Startup Story, Mission and Vision, Products and Services, and more, then here’s the MakeMyTrip success story.

    MakeMyTrip – Company Highlights

    Startup Name MakeMyTrip
    Headquarters Gurgaon, Harayana, India
    Sector Travel, Software Development
    Founder Deep Kalra, Keyur Joshi, Rajesh Magow, Sachin Bhatia
    Founded 2000
    Website makemytrip.com

    About MakeMyTrip
    MakeMyTrip – Industry
    MakeMyTrip – Founders and Team
    MakeMyTrip – Subsidiaries
    MakeMyTrip – Startup Story
    MakeMyTrip – Mission and Vision
    MakeMyTrip – Name, Tagline, and Logo
    MakeMyTrip – Business Model
    MakeMyTrip – Revenue Model
    MakeMyTrip – Product and Services
    MakeMyTrip – Challenges Faced
    MakeMyTrip – Funding and Investors
    MakeMyTrip – Investments
    MakeMyTrip – Mergers and Acquisitions
    MakeMyTrip – Growth
    MakeMyTrip – Financials
    MakeMyTrip – Partnerships
    MakeMyTrip – Advertisements and Social Media Campaigns
    MakeMyTrip – Awards and Achievements
    MakeMyTrip – Competitors
    MakeMyTrip – Future Plans

    About MakeMyTrip

    India’s leading online travel company, MakeMyTrip, was founded in 2000 by Deep Kalra, Keyur Joshi, and Sachin Bhatia, and later joined by Rajesh Magow. Headquartered in Gurgaon (Haryana), the company provides online travel services that include flight tickets, domestic and international holiday packages, hotel reservations, and rail and bus tickets.

    Goibibo India-Online Travel Booking Portal
    Online travel booking became a sensation with the advent of smartphones and
    digitization. In the same segment where Cleartrip and MakeMyTrip
    [/makemytrip-indian-startup-success-story/] were already predominantly present, Goibibo disrupted the travel segment by providing seamless travel experience i…

    MakeMyTrip – Industry

    The research of Statista indicates that the travel and tourism sector is expanding favorably. The projected yearly growth rate between 2023 and 2027 is an outstanding Compound yearly Growth Rate (CAGR) of almost 12.18%, with a projected value of US $31.45 billion by 2027. These figures highlight the industry’s strength and point to a continuing upward trend, indicating tremendous potential for consistent growth and a plethora of opportunities in the Travel and Tourism sector going forward.

    MakeMyTrip – Founders and Team

    Deep Kalra, Keyur Joshi, Rajesh Magow, and Sachin Bhatia are the co-founders of MakeMyTrip.

    Deep Kalra

    Deep Kalra, Founder of MakeMyTrip
    Deep Kalra, Founder and CEO of MakeMyTrip

    The founder of MakeMyTrip, Deep Kalra, was raised in Hyderabad, attended St. Stephen’s College in Delhi for his economics degree, and graduated with an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad in 1992. He left ABN AMRO after three years to work in business development at GE Capital. In the past, he worked with AMF Bowling to bring bowling alleys to India. With the launch of MakeMyTrip in 2000, Kalra revolutionized the Indian travel sector by introducing cutting-edge online services.

    As the CEO of MakeMyTrip, Deep Kalra guided the company from its inception till its listing on NASDAQ in August 2010. From August 2013 to February 2020, Kalra functioned as the Group CEO. In February 2020, Deep Kalra stepped down from the post of Group CEO to resume responsibilities as executive chairman of the MakeMyTrip board, while co-founder and current group CEO Rajesh Magow took charge as the Group CEO.

    “We believe that separating the roles of Group CEO and Executive Chairman will allow us to focus more on long-term strategic opportunities within and outside India, while maintaining our market-leading position in our existing businesses,” MakeMyTrip owner Deep Kalra commented on his step-down.

    Kalra also serves as the vice chairman of Internet and Mobile Association of India. He is one of the founders of Ashoka University and is a part of its governing body. He is also a founding member of “I am Gurgaon”, an NGO.


    Deep Kalra: Founder & CEO of MakeMyTrip | Biography | Net Worth | Education | Story
    Work, assignments, and stress. These three words take up significant time in a
    millennial’s day. And it’s only going to get more hectic. As a result, most of
    us and not just the millennials yearn for that much needed break. A long trip to
    Goa or visiting monuments usually does the job of shedding so…


    Rajesh Magow

    Rajesh Magow – Founder and Group CEO of MakeyTrip

    Rajesh Magow, a co-founder of MakeMyTrip, currently serves as the company group CEO. Magow graduated from the Indian Institute of Chartered Accountants. He began his career with Aptech Ltd. as the Regional Head-ACE North. Afterward, he joined Ebookers as CFO and Head of Financial Services before joining MakeMyTrip as co-founder, CFO, and COO. Magow has held a number of executive positions within the corporation, including those of Group CEO, COO, and CFO.

    Keyur Joshi

    Keyur Joshi - Founder and COO of MakeMyTrip
    Keyur Joshi – Founder and COO of MakeMyTrip

    Keyur Joshi is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of MakeMyTrip and the Strategic Advisor, roles that he is still serving in the company. Besides this, he is also the co-founder of Wildlife Luxuries (I) Pvt. Ltd. The jumpstart of the online travel market in India can largely be attributed to Joshi.

    Before MakeMyTrip, Joshi was involved with Around the World Travel (presently known as JustFares.com), and Tata Motors, where he handled the Market Research and Product Management departments. Keyur has obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Gujarat University. This was again followed by an MBA degree from the City University of New York, New York. Joshi is also a certified pilot!

    Apart from the resignation of Sachin Bhatia, who resigned as the co-founder and CMO of the company, the founding team of MakeMyTrip is intact.

    MakeMyTrip – Subsidiaries

    MakeMyTrip Subsidiaries are Ibibo, Easy to Book Holding B.V., ITC Group, Luxury Tours & Travel Pte Limited, Quest2travel.com India Pvt. Ltd., Hotel Travel Ltd., Travis Internet Private Limited, MakeMyTrip (India) Private Limited, and Makemytrip.com Inc.

    MakeMyTrip – Startup Story

    MakeMyTrip’s genesis lies in the entrepreneurial spirit of its founder, Deep Kalra. Initially an experienced banker at ABN AMRO Bank, Kalra felt the urge to break away from the monotony of corporate life and explore new avenues. After three years in the banking sector, he sought challenges beyond the confines of a traditional career. This quest led him to join AMF Bowling, which aimed to introduce bowling alleys to India. Despite facing challenges in fundraising and the subsequent failure of this venture, Kalra’s determination to run his own business remained unshaken.

    Undeterred by setbacks, Kalra found himself at GE Capital, where he gained valuable insights into the potential of the internet. The realization dawned when he successfully sold his wife’s car online, sparking the idea that the internet could be a powerful platform for his entrepreneurial aspirations. Acknowledging the vast possibilities, he resigned from GE Capital and ventured into the world of online businesses.

    The turning point for MakeMyTrip came during Kalra’s research into the tourism sector. Recognizing the inconvenience faced by Indians queuing at ticket counters, he envisioned a solution that would make ticket bookings accessible online. This insight solidified the foundation of MakeMyTrip. While planning a holiday to Thailand, Kalra observed the cost efficiency of direct online bookings and decided to eliminate intermediaries, leading to the official launch of MakeMyTrip in 2000. The platform aimed to simplify ticket bookings and offer competitive prices, marking the beginning of a transformative journey in the online travel industry.

    MakeMyTrip – Mission and Vision

    MakeMyTrip’s mission is to “provide customers a one-stop-shop for all their travel needs.” It helps the users get optimum user experience across the entire travel journey, which includes “effective planning resources, superior booking experience across all channels, and in-journey 24×7 live customer support.”

    At GO-MMT, our vision is to make travel simple and fun for all, and our core values guide us in making this possible. These core values can be seen in the projects that we undertake, and the way in which we solve problems for our customers. They are a representation of OUR BEING & OUR DOING. Each member of the GO-MMT family is guided by them, each and every day, says the company website while stating its vision and values.

    MakeMyTrip’s tagline is “Dil toh roaming hai”, which the company announced in April 2017.

    MakeMyTrip Logo
    MakeMyTrip Logo

    MakeMyTrip – Business Model

    MakeMyTrip lets users book air tickets and bus tickets, buy holiday packages, book hotel accommodations, and hire vehicles. Users can also access other travel-related services, like visa processing and travel insurance, that are provided by third-party vendors. All of these services are available through MakeMyTrip’s app, website, or through MakeMyTrip-owned and franchisee-owned stores.

    Besides this B2C model, MakeMyTrip India has also introduced MyBiz to offer various corporate travel-related services. MyBiz lets businesses easily manage the travel and accommodation of their employees through various features, such as a single dashboard, MyBiz wallet for central payment processing, and instant refunds to myBiz Wallet on cancellations.


    Business model of MakeMyTrip | How does MakeMyTrip make money
    MakeMyTrip is a Indian online travel company founded by Deep Kalra. Here’s a detailed look at how MakeMyTrip makes money.


    MakeMyTrip – Revenue Model

    MakeMyTrip’s revenue model combines traditional and innovative elements, with a focus on strategic air ticket sales contributing 35% to the total revenue. Complementing this, hotels and holiday packages constitute a substantial around 50% of earnings. The transport segment, led by Red Bus, adds 10%, growing at an impressive 35% annually. MakeMyTrip has expanded its revenue streams by partnering with IRCTC for rail tickets and introducing weekend travel, activities, and events.

    Domestic travel takes center stage in revenue generation, with 60% of air ticket revenue and 85–90% of hotel business revenue attributed to domestic travel. This highlights MakeMyTrip’s adaptability to regional preferences and solidifies its position as a comprehensive travel solution.


    Ixigo Success Story: Business Model | Revenue | Funding | Owner | Net worth
    Ixigo is India’s leading online & mobile travel search + planning website. Read More about Ixigo company profile, it’s story and history, revenue, owner/founder, net worth, business model, funding, acquisitions, competitors, and more


    MakeMyTrip – Products and Services

    MakeMyTrip Limited is an Indian online travel company founded in 2000. It’s services include air ticketing, hotel and alternative accommodations bookings, holiday planning and packaging, rail ticketing, inter-city bus ticketing, car hire, and ancillary travel requirements such as facilitating access to third-party travel insurance and visa processing.

    The company is the industry leader in India’s travel sector thanks to its continuous innovation culture and “customer first” strategic focus. This puts it in a unique position to accelerate the online presence of hotels and other lodgings that are largely offline.

    MakeMyTrip employs a sizable number of data scientists in their workforce. It makes considerable use of chatbots: Myra for MakeMyTrip and Gia for Goibibo. These chatbots assist with most post-sale inquiries.

    MakeMyTrip – Challenges Faced

    “The meltdown of dotcom, the exit of venture capital from India, and the 9/11 attacks. By mid-2001, MakeMyTrip were hit by this triple whammy. The next couple of years were the toughest — there were no investors in sight and the company had to shrink the team. But those tough times helped bind the team together. It’s been an incredible journey and the team are thrilled for the possibilities that lie ahead.” said Deep Kalra Founder.

    MakeMyTrip celebrated turning 20 in 2020, marking 20 years of assisting customers with travel arrangements. Unfortunately, the worldwide pandemic made it happen during a difficult period. For everyone, traveling was challenging due to the coronavirus. MakeMyTrip used its knowledge to adapt and come up with new ways to assist travelers in spite of this obstacle. The business demonstrated that it could overcome obstacles and remain a leader in the travel sector even in the face of this challenging circumstance.

    MakeMyTrip – Funding and Investors

    MakeMyTrip has raised $748 mn in over 6 rounds of funding.

    Here are the funding details:

    DATE STAGE AMOUNT INVESTORS
    February 6, 2021 Post-IPO Debt $200 mn
    May 3, 2017 Post-IPO Equity $330 mn
    January 8, 2016 Post-IPO Equity $180 mn Trip.com
    October 8, 2007 Series C $15 mn Tiger Fund
    December 14, 2006 Series B $13 mn Helion Venture Partners, Sierra Ventures
    May 1, 2005 Series A $10 mn Tiger Fund

    MakeMyTrip – Investments

    MakeMyTrip has made 7 investments to date. Here’s all of them below:

    DATE NAME OF THE COMPANY INVESTMENT ROUND LEAD INVESTOR
    February 29, 2020 ibibo Group Venture Round Yes
    September 24, 2019 PasajeBus.com Series A Yes
    July 26, 2018 Bitla Software Pvt. Ltd. Venture Round Yes
    September 6, 2017 GoFro Series B Yes
    July 20, 2015 HolidayIQ Series B Yes
    June 25, 2015 Inspirock Seed Round
    August 11, 2011 ixigo Series A

    MakeMyTrip Exit

    It has exited from two companies, ibibo Group and Inspirock.

    MakeMyTrip – Mergers and Acquisitions

    MakeMyTrip has made 5 acquisitions to date.

    The MakeMyTrip fintech arm TripMoney has acquired BookMyForex, an online foreign exchange service provider in India, on April 5, 2022, through the acquisition of the majority of the stakes in the company.

    Here’s a look at the list of the companies that MakeMyTrip has acquired:

    COMPANY ACQUIRED DATE OF ACQUISITION AMOUNT
    Quest2Travel May 1, 2019
    ibibo Group October 18, 2016 $720 mn
    Mygola April 23, 2015
    Easytobook.com February 6, 2014 $5 mn
    HotelTravel.com November 19, 2012 $25 mn

    Some other investments and acquisitions that MakeMyTrip has made during its journey till now are:

    • In August 2011, MakeMyTrip (MMT), along with private equity firm Saif Partners, acquired majority stakes in Travenues Technology Private Limited, which owns Ixigo.com. In November 2011, MMT invested in ‘My Guest House Accommodation’, a budget lodging and hotel operator.
    • In September 2014, the company instituted a $15 mn innovation fund to support early-stage companies in the travel space. It also acquired MyGola, a travel planning website, in April 2015. The acquisition was done through the innovation fund, and as part of the acquisition, all employees of MyGola were absorbed into the MakeMyTrip team.
    • In June 2015, MakeMyTrip acquired an 18% stake in travel planning startup Inspirock. In July 2015, it invested in travel information and hotel review portal HolidayIQ to pick up an approximately 30% stake in the latter. In the same month, it also invested $5 mn in BonaVita Technologies, a startup that plans to utilize the funds to build innovative products in the travel industry.

    MakeMyTrip – Growth

    Starting its journey at the start of the millennium, MakeMyTrip has entirely transformed the ways of travel and bookings and has made the whole process fast, easy, and hassle-free not only for its customers but for the whole country in general. Some of the major growth insights of the company are:

    • As of June 2023, MakeMyTrip had 146 active franchisees operating in more than 100 cities
    • It has covered 2,000 cities via hotels
    • It also has international offices based in Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, New York, Singapore, Phuket, and Istanbul
    • MakeMyTrip has 68 mn+ monthly active users as per its website
    • It has 69 mn+ lifetime transacted users
    • In the post-pandemic world, the company also claims to help the users get 100% refund on their cancellations

    MakeMyTrip – Financials

    MakeMyTrip has shown strong revenue growth in recent years, with a sharp turnaround to profitability in FY24.

    Particulars FY24 FY23 FY22 FY21 FY20
    Revenue INR 5,490.4 Cr INR 4,062.2 Cr INR 2,034.1 Cr INR 848.1 Cr INR 3,160.7 Cr
    Expenses INR 4,863.9 Cr INR 3,975 Cr INR 2,097 Cr INR 1,053.1 Cr INR 3,593.6 Cr
    Profit/Loss INR 626.5 Cr INR 87.1 Cr INR -62.8 Cr INR -205 Cr INR -432.9 Cr
    MakeMyTrip Financials
    MakeMyTrip Financials

    In FY24, MakeMyTrip’s revenue increased by 35% from INR 4,062.2 Cr in FY23 to INR 5,490.4 Cr, while expenses also increased to INR 4,863.9 Cr. The company reported a profit before tax of INR 626.5 Cr, a huge jump from INR 87.1 Cr in FY23.

    MakeMyTrip Revenue:

    Revenue Source FY24 FY23
    Revenue from Operations INR 5,336.1 Cr INR 4,006.5 Cr
    Other Income INR 154.3 Cr INR 55.7 Cr

    Revenue from operations grew by 33%, reaching INR 5,336.1 Cr in FY24 compared to INR 4,006.5 Cr in FY23. Other income saw a massive increase from INR 55.7 Cr to INR 154.3 Cr.

    MakeMyTrip Expenses:

    Expense Type FY24 FY23
    Employee Benefit Expense INR 883.3 Cr INR 781.8 Cr
    Finance Costs INR 63.2 Cr INR 101.7 Cr
    Other Expenses INR 3,917.4 Cr INR 3,000.2 Cr

    Total expenses increased by 22%, rising from INR 3,975 Cr in FY23 to INR 4,863.9 Cr in FY24. Employee costs increased, while finance costs decreased from INR 101.7 Cr to INR 63.2 Cr, showing better financial management.

    MakeMyTrip Profit/Loss:

    MakeMyTrip achieved a huge jump in profitability, with net profit surging from INR 80.1 Cr in FY23 to INR 1,569.7 Cr in FY24, reflecting strong revenue growth and cost efficiency.

    Quick Summary:

    • Revenue: Grew 35% from INR 4,062.2 Cr (FY23) to INR 5,490.4 Cr (FY24).
    • Expenses: Increased 22%, mainly due to higher operating costs.
    • Profit: Massive jump from INR 80.1 Cr in FY23 to INR 1,569.7 Cr in FY24, showing strong financial turnaround.

    MakeMyTrip – Partnerships

    MakeMyTrip, in its 20+ year-long journey, has witnessed numerous partnerships with a whole lot of brands. Here’s a glimpse into some of the most important collaborations that MakeMyTrip has witnessed in recent years:

    • The Indian travel company led by Rajesh Magow was all set to partner with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, as per reports dated November 22, 2021. With this partnership, the popular travel and tourism company was about to ensure the promotion of regional air connectivity via the UDAN scheme. The company planned to power the UDAN flights on the AIRSewa portal and to market the same on its platform as well in order to promote its products and increase visibility and product discovery.
    • MakeMyTrip has partnered with IndiGo to launch exclusive charter flights between Mumbai and Phuket in Thailand. The announcement came in on November 10, 2021, where MakeMyTrip, as part of the deal, will ensure end-to-end service assistance, including airport transfers, early check-in and check-out, certificate of entry assistance, premium properties, and more.
    • The company entered into a strategic partnership with AmazonPay to offer all-inclusive travel services to Amazon customers that will be enabled by MakeMyTrip and Redbus. This partnership was announced on November 1, 2021.
    • The Indian travel major collaborated with Hopper, a leading AI-based travel booking app, on October 14, 2021, which was aimed to help the customers save money with personalized and flexible bookings.

    MakeMyTrip – Advertisements and Social Media Campaigns

    Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt are the brand ambassadors of the MakeMyTrip company, whom the company roped in on February 17, 2016.

    MakeMyTrip | Top-Rated International Hotels Loved by Indians!

    MakeMyTrip, an online travel company, has launched a funny new campaign that highlights real travel problems. This three-film campaign focuses on International Hotels, Homestays & Villas, and Domestic Hotels. Using relatable situations, it turns common travel frustrations into entertaining stories. Featuring Bollywood stars Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh, the campaign shows how MakeMyTrip helps travelers easily find the best places to stay—both in India and abroad.

    MakeMyTrip – Awards and Achievements

    The list of accolades received by the company is quite long. Here are some of them:

    • Great Manager Awards – Companies with Great Manager Award 2022.
    • Economic Times – Future Ready Organization Award 2022.
    • ET Human Capital Awards – Most Inclusive Companies Index Exemplar 2022.
    • Most Inclusive Company Index Study – 100 Best Companies For Women – 2022.
    • Best Travel Innovator – Travel Distribution World Asia Awards (2012).
    • Singapore Airlines – Top agents award (2010-2011); Top Passenger Agent (2007-08).
    • Malaysia airlines – Top Agent Award (2007); Top agent award (2009); Top agent award (2010).
    • Cathay Pacific – Outstanding performance in (2009); Outstanding Performance (2007).
    • Air Mauritius – All India Top Ten Agent/Top North India Sales Award (2007-08); All India Top Ten Agent/Top North India Sales Award (2006-07).
    • British Airways – Outstanding Revenue Contribution (2007-08).
    • Lufthansa – Outstanding Performance (2006-07).
    • Indian Airlines – Achieving Highest Domestic Passenger Sales (2006-07).
    • Kingfisher Airlines – Outstanding Performance (2006-07).
    • Jet Airways – Award of Excellence (2005-06).
    • Air India – Outstanding Contribution to Passenger Sales (2005-06).

    RedBus – Enjoy a cozy and comfortable bus travel with RedBus!
    With all the buzz that the millennials have with traveling and easy bookings, we
    had to have the online booking portals that are easy as a button. Today from
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    online booking. One such company that revolutionized the bus travel…

    MakeMyTrip – Competitors

    The main competitors of MakeMyTrip are:


    Best Travel Business Ideas in India for Adventure Enthusiasts | Tourism Business Ideas
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    MakeMyTrip – Future Plans

    MakeMyTrip plans to become a one-stop travel app by offering many travel services in one place. It will use AI and data to give users a more personalized experience. The company also wants to expand worldwide and grow in religious tourism, which is becoming more popular.

    FAQs

    What is Make My Trip?

    MakeMyTrip is an online travel company founded by Deep Kalra, Keyur Joshi, and Sachin Bhatia in 2000, who were later joined by Rajesh Magow. The company is headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana and offers online travel services including domestic and international holiday packages, hotel reservations, rail, bus and flight tickets.

    Who is MakeMyTrip founder?

    Rajesh Magow is the co-founder and Group CEO of MakeMyTrip. Rajesh joined Deep Kalra, Keyur Joshi and Sachin Bhatia, the founders of MakeMyTrip, in 2006.

    What are the names of MakeMyTrip subsidiaries?

    MakeMyTrip Subsidiaries are Ibibo, Easy to Book Holding B.V., ITC Group, Luxury Tours & Travel Pte Limited, Quest2travel.com India Pvt. Ltd., Hotel Travel Ltd., Travis Internet Private Limited, MakeMyTrip (India) Private Limited, and Makemytrip.com Inc.

    Which is MakeMyTrip origin country?

    MakeMyTrip Limited is an Indian online travel company founded in 2000.

    Who owns MakeMyTrip?

    MakeMyTrip is owned by MakeMyTrip Limited, a publicly traded company listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker MMYT. It was founded by Deep Kalra in 2000. The company’s major shareholders include institutional investors, with Ctrip (now Trip.com Group), a Chinese travel services company, being a significant stakeholder.

    When was MakeMyTrip founded?

    MakeMyTrip was founded in 2000 by Deep Kalra, Keyur Joshi, Rajesh Magow, and Sachin Bhatia.

  • Prepare for Government and Competitive Exams With Ixambee

    Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by ixamBee.

    A Government job is the first preference of many-educated young adults in India. Every year millions of graduate and undergraduate students appear for competitive exams to secure jobs in the public sector. As shown by surveys conducted by the Lokniti research program at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) in 2016, 65% of the Indian youth preferred a Government job. Again, a huge chunk of these Government job aspirants belong to the rural areas and a lot comes from financially weaker sections.

    However, this section residing in backward areas and having a low income does not get adequate opportunities to prepare for competitive exams, owing to lack of infrastructure or money. Considering this scenario, ixamBee, a New Delhi based startup is offering free mock tests on its online platform so that all the govt job aspirants can prepare well for their dream job, irrespective of economic status, and from anywhere.
    StartupTalky interviewed ixamBee CEO Chandraprakash Joshi to understand the startup better.

    Startup Name ixamBee
    Headquarter New Delhi
    Founders Chandraprakash Joshi, Arunima Sinha & Sandeep Singh
    Sector EdTech
    Founded 2016
    Website www.ixambee.com
    Parent Organization ATOZLEARN EDUTECH Pvt. Ltd.

    About ixamBee and How It Works
    Online Education and Ed-Tech in India
    Founders of ixamBee and Team
    How Was ixamBee Started?
    ixamBee – Name and Logo
    ixamBee – Revenue Model
    ixamBee – User Acquisition
    ixamBee – Startup Challenges
    ixamBee – Advisors and Mentors
    ixamBee – Growth
    ixamBee – Future Plans

    About ixamBee and How It Works

    ixamBee is a platform that lets Government job aspirants prepare for various competitive exams online. ixamBee is the only website where all the mock tests are available for free to the users to practice and prepare for various competitive exams and that is their USP.
    ixamBee makes a large number of questions at a very low cost. These questions are made in-house, after thorough research and analysis of past trends, matching the difficulty level of the exam and following the same exam patterns as the real exams. The platform offers mock tests for more than 50 exams in Banking, Insurance Teaching, Railways, SSC and other categories.

    ixamBee also provides comprehensive online learning courses for exam preparation. These learning modules are a package of short video lessons, study notes, practice questions and live sessions with the expert faculty.  Besides online practice tests and speed tests offered in the platform helps the users be better prepared to face the exam. Here, you can find over 500 video lessons to learn from and over 10000 practice questions. With paid subscriptions to these online courses, students can learn from anywhere and anytime convenient to them.

    Some highlights of ixamBee courses are

    • Users get exam preparation tips from exam toppers and subject experts.
    • Offers career guidance by successful professionals.
    • Exam focused on comprehensive and concise study materials.
    • Content is available in vernacular languages too.
    • Extensive question banks that help students prepare better.
    • Video lessons for difficult topics.
    • ‘Adaptive Practice’ tests, where difficulty level of questions are adjusted as per performance.
    • ixamBee also offers topic wise and section wise performance accelerating analytics.

    Online Education and Ed-Tech in India

    There are 300 million students in India and a large majority of them live in villages and small towns where quality learning material is not easily accessible. Online learning provides an equal opportunity for anyone to learn from anywhere. As per reports, the size of the Online Education market is expected to reach $325.48 billion by 2026.

    EdTech market is very competitive, probably due to the low entry barriers. However, considering the large market, we have always been confident to make our own space. Today ixamBee is growing fast because of its focus on the quality of content that helps students in clearing the exam. In the time of information overload, our crisp and to the point content which is created by Subject Matter Experts is helping students get success.

    Relevant Read: upGrad is Offering Distance Courses from Reputed National and International Institutes

    Founders of ixamBee and Team

    ixamBee was founded by the trio, Arunima Sinha, Sandeep Singh and Chandraprakash Joshi in 2016.

    Chandraprakash Joshi is the CEO of ixamBee. He received his formal education in the field of agriculture and finance. He held reputed positions in RBI as Manager (Hyderabad) and Assistant General Manager(Lucknow). He also held various positions in esteemed organizations like Oriental Bank of Commerce, Regional Rural Bank and Yes Bank before starting ixamBee.

    Arunima Sinha, a born teacher, quit her government job (as Manager–SIDBI) and started Stratagem – a coaching institute for the preparation of competitive exams. She being an educator was very keen to work on a project for the betterment of society, combining the benefit of her teaching with tech skills, which made her join the founding team of ixamBee.

    Sandeep Singh has extensive technical experience as he used to manage various technical departments in brands like Make My Trip, Carnation Auto India Pvt. Ltd and Sirez Ltd. Sandeep also co-founded an E-commerce site ‘Babyhugs.com’ which dealt in baby care products.

    ixamBee Team

    ixamBee has a team of qualified and dedicated professionals having diverse skillsets which have helped it get established as a known name amongst students.

    How Was ixamBee Started?

    Chandraprakash Joshi did his schooling from a village and had no proper awareness and guidance to choose the right career. While travelling to different parts of the country during his field visits for YES Bank, he interacted with a large number of people living in small towns. The observation made him realize, that the people were willing to invest in education, however, there were hardly any options that made quality education accessible. Increased access to internet services in rural areas has created an opportunity for online education so Chandraprakash grabbed the opportunity with both hands. He always wanted to do something beneficial for the youth of the country, and his experiences during personal and work-life turned into a passion to teach, that finally led to the conviction of starting up ixamBee.

    “We wanted a name that is related to education and exam preparation and also wanted to include an element of nature in it,”  said Chandraprakash explaining the idea behind the name ‘ixamBee’.

    ixamBee Logo

    Bees are the most social, systematic and intelligent insects having a crucial place in the cycle of life by helping plants grow, breed and produce food.  Therefore, the word ‘exam’ is clubbed with ‘bee’. The ‘e’ of the exam is replaced with ‘i’ as the company name starting with ‘I’ makes it personalized for every user and every team member of ixamBee.

    ixamBee – Revenue Model

    ixamBee provides free mock tests for more than 50 exams and it is the only platform where students get mock tests without paying anything for that. ixamBee’s revenue comes from the comprehensive online learning courses that students subscribe to for the preparation of competitive exams such as Bank PO, SSC, RBI, NABARD, SEBI, LIC, and others.

    ixamBee – User Acquisition

    ixamBee launched the mock tests in April 2017 and reached customers using social media such as Quora, Facebook, and Youtube. Students visit the website to attempt mock tests because of the quality of questions, answer explanations and personalized feedback analytics that helps them in improving their performance. More than 300 million questions have been attempted by 750K plus users on the website.

    For a B2C player in the online space, it is tough to reach customers, and one needs to spend much on digital marketing. However, social media did the magic for ixamBee, in getting its first 1000 registrations in the first month itself. Due to good content quality, very quickly the word spread among the online student communities across various social media.

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    ixamBee – Startup Challenges

    “I always believe, What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger”-Chandrapraksh says.

    At ixamBee, there was a big challenge to get qualified and experienced professionals on board when the company has little money to pay them. Again, there was a challenge to make students realize the quality of the content.

    To some extent selection of students in the first year of the course launch and appreciation by users about the ixamBee experience has helped us grow at a good pace. We are continuously learning how to manage these challenges in a better way and are also preparing for the bigger challenges we are going to face in the coming years.

    ixamBee – Advisors and Mentors

    Keyur Joshi, Co-Founder of MakeMyTrip is mentoring ixamBee since the beginning. Sandeep (co-founder and CTO) has earlier worked with Keyur in MakeMyTrip. Keyur’s continuous guidance has been extremely valuable for crafting the differentiation strategy and growth plan for ixamBee.

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    ixamBee – Growth

    ixamBee is growing very fast and becoming popular among students because of the value they are getting. Today the company has 1 million-plus monthly visits on the website and the number is growing constantly. There are more than 45 million page views on the websites and students have spent a total of 800,000 plus study hours at ixamBee.com. These numbers are growing at the rate of 80-100% month on month.

    The average ticket size for each course ranges from INR 3,000 to INR 60,000 per course. The company claims to have about 1,500 paid users.

    ixamBee – Future Plans

    iexambee plans to keep investing the profits into the business to launch more courses, they have already launched a mobile app and added more languages on the platform.

    “We have still not reached even 1% of the student in the market. We have lots to be achieved and we are preparing in the right direction.” Chandraprakash says.

    ixamBee’s aims to reach 100 million students by 2025. Recently, in 2021, it has raised $300,000 in seed funding.

    FAQs

    When was ixamBee was founded?

    ixamBee was founded in the year 2016.

    Who founded ixamBee?

    ixamBee was founded by Chandraprakash Joshi, Arunima Sinha and Sandeep Singh.

    What is ixamBee?

    ixamBee is an online platform that helps in learning and preparing for competitive exams for like Banking, SSC, Railways and others.