ixigo, mobile travel search marketplace has completed the acquisition of all intellectual property of Desi Backpacking Travelers, the company that runs IndianBackpacker.com, for an undisclosed amount. As a part of the deal, Akshay Chhugani, founder and CEO, The Indian Backpacker will also be joining ixigo as ‘head of traveller communities’.
Aloke Bajpai, co-founder and CEO, ixigo said, “As a part of ixigo’s vision of simplifying the lives of Indian travellers, we want to build a strong connect with communities of travellers who possess a shared passion, purpose or taste. Akshay has travelled extensively through India on a shoestring budget and has mastered the art of spending less and travelling more in terms of budget accommodation, destinations and experiences. At ixigo, he will be responsible to build and nurture curated communities of travellers across interest areas. We look forward to building an authentic Indian traveller community and curate deep knowledge of offbeat destinations and niche travel experiences.”
Commenting on the deal, Chhugani said, “ixigo has emerged as the most innovative aggregator in the Indian travel space, with the smartest apps for budget travellers and an organically grown and loyal user-base. There is a clear opportunity to build a community platform that enhances engagement and provides authentic and unbiased curated content for Indian travellers. I am pretty excited about the possibilities our shared vision unfolds.”
A travel enthusiast since he was 16, Chhugani has stayed at Ashrams, trekked to the hills, tried out local street food at small towns and made new friends from across the globe. In a short time, he made IndianBackpacker.com a credible source of information and bookings for backpackers coming to India.
ixigo recently received investment from Micromax, one of India’s leading smartphone manufacturers, and is looking to grow five-fold to reach over 30 million monthly active mobile users by the end of 2016.