Episode XLii- Prashant Pitti, co-founder of EaseMyTrip
Prashant graduated from IIT Madras worked with HSBC and Capital One in the United States before coming back to India and co-founding EaseMyTrip in 2008. Initially, a B2B travel brand, EaseMyTrip became a household name in the mid-2010s with its no-fee pricing and superior customer service. EaseMyTrip went public in 2021 at its current market
Prashant graduated from IIT Madras worked with HSBC and Capital One in the United States before coming back to India and co-founding EaseMyTrip in 2008.
Initially, a B2B travel brand, EaseMyTrip became a household name in the mid-2010s with its no-fee pricing and superior customer service. EaseMyTrip went public in 2021 at its current market cap is ₹4,500 crores (~$750m). EaseMyTrip provides a comprehensive range of travel-related products and services for end-to-end travel solutions. This includes airline tickets, hotels and holiday packages, rail tickets, bus tickets, and taxis.
Key takeaways from the episode:
- What was the personal motive behind quitting leading banks like Capital One or HSBC and starting a travel portal?
- What was the EaseMyTrip USP that gave it an edge over its much better-funded competition?
- How did EaseMyTrip’s marketing strategy significantly reduce CAC while multiplying its AOV?
- How did empowering the front-line CSR agent increase customer loyalty?
- Why did EaseMyTrip choose to run a business on customer capital, refusing VC investment offers?
- Why did EaseMyTrip founder go public? They did not take any primary capital infusion in the IPO. Instead, they choose to sell their secondary stake in the company – why the aversion to outside capital?
- What is it like working with your own brothers? How does Prashant maintain a balance between his professional and personal life?
- If Prashant could turn back time, what are the 2 things he wishes he could have changed in this journey?