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Context is everything.
Detailed stories on technology startups, business and economic current affairs.
Detailed stories on technology startups, business and economic current affairs.
The school of hard knocks is what made the travel startup the gritty survivor it is today, says CEO Aloke Bajpai ahead of a public market listing.
Editor's note: Aloke Bajpai, co-founder and CEO of Ixigo, a 15-year-old startup with 300-odd people, and I get down to business almost immediately. “I have been following what you do for the longest time.” This is me. It is a lazy Saturday morning in late June and word on the street is that Ixigo is headed for a public market listing. This is after living through 18 months of absolute horror, the worst crisis that the travel industry has ever seen. I never thought I’d see Ixigo survive, leave alone list. “I always thought that for Ixigo certain death is around the corner,” I continue. “It might come across as a very sceptical view but that’s how I sort of understood your company. My long-standing hypothesis has been that some event, maybe external, like COVID-19, or from within the company, say a liquidity crunch, might push the company over. Clearly that has not happened. You have survived and you are here and you’ve lived through everything.” Zoom calls are a terrible substitute for in-person conversations as it is next to impossible to …
While the filing for an IPO by its telecom and digital business was the highlight, Reliance laid out plans for its new energy and retail businesses, setting them up for eventual listings.
As India’s largest stock exchange heads to the public markets, it may need to rethink its excessive reliance on transaction revenue.
The online storytelling company is betting that content will be the most sought-after commodity as scores of platforms jump on the microdrama bandwagon. But success will hinge on whether it has a good enough story to draw the audience.
