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Travelguru,
India’s leading
online travel portal, announced that it has received a fresh
infusion of capital commitment of $15 Million from Battery
Ventures and Sequoia Capital India. This signifies the growing
confidence of global investors in Travelguru’s strong
performance and market leadership in the high-growth Indian
travel market. The second round of funding will help to build
retail initiatives to support online growth.
The company, well known for marketing highly innovative and
value-driven hotel, holiday and travel packages, has emerged the
market leader in hotel and holiday distribution services.
The number of customers who use Travelguru for their air,
hotel stay and vacation needs is currently pegged at 70,000
customers a month. With a number of promotional and strategic
initiatives planned for the months ahead, the user base of
Travelguru is set to grow by over 30% month on month. This round
of investment in Travelguru by two global venture capital firms
marks a significant milestone in the online travel space.
Commenting on the investment, Ashwin Damera, CEO and Founder,
Travelguru said, “Our focus on delivering superior consumer
experience through cutting edge technology, breadth of product
offerings and best value travel deals has yielded great results
to all our stakeholders. The second round of funding from
Battery Ventures and Sequoia Capital reaffirms the growing
confidence in Travelguru’s team and leadership position in the
Indian travel and tourism industry.”
“The new round of investments will help us strengthen our
reach through delivering retail experience to our consumer base
as well as in making continued investments to maintain our high
level of customer satisfaction and service,” added Mr. Damera.
According to Mark Sherman, General Partner, Battery Ventures:
“We are very happy to announce our first major investment in the
consumer Internet space in India with Travelguru. Given our
experience in technology in general and consumer internet
specifically, we selectively look for companies with a few key
ingredients: companies that address large markets, have very
strong leadership, and have shown they can deliver innovative
offerings as well as execute on sales and marketing. In a short
time, Ashwin and his team have established a distinct identity
for Travelguru in the online travel space in India. We expect
them to lead the market with solid industry
relationships, continued product innovations, and high quality
customer experiences.”
“We are delighted that US-based Battery Ventures has chosen to
join in on the second round of funding for Travelguru,” said KP
Balaraj, Managing Director, Sequoia Capital India. “This
reflects our growing confidence in Travelguru’s market position
and capabilities. The growing consumer base and the leadership
status of being the largest hotel consolidator in the Indian
online travel market highlight the unique position of Travelguru.
We are very excited to be partnering with Ashwin and the team to
continue to innovate and build the leading online travel company
in India.”
For more Information, please visit:
www.Travelguru.com
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