UVC: Aloke Bajpai from ixigo on dealing with a crisis like COVID, how startups can create a great work culture, how late stage fundraising is different from seed & series A, and how startups should think about going for IPO

Understanding VC

Aloke Bajpai is the Co-Founder & Group CEO of ixigo. A travel industry veteran, he has worked in various product and technology roles at Amadeus, France, prior to launching ixigo in 2007. A big supporter of entrepreneurship, Aloke is a key investor and advisor for several startups and accelerators. Aloke is an IIT Kanpur alumnus and an MBA from INSEAD.

Key Takeaways

• Aloke shares the struggles of getting ixigo off the ground and also the challenges they faced while raising their first round of investment
• How positive customer feedback and growth for their key metrics kept them going even when things were hard
• How startups can deal with a crisis like COVID and come out of it stronger
• ixigo’s work culture, how it was shaped and how startups can build a great company culture
• Aloke shares how his leadership has evolved over time learning from mistakes and key qualities that are quintessential for a startup leader
• An interesting instance where a VC made a big impact for ixigo
• How late stage fundraising is different from Seed and Series A
• How startups should think about going for IPO
• Startups Aloke likes to back and why