Deep Kalra - 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱. 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸.
Deep Kalra (PGP 1992), Founder & Chairman of MakeMyTrip and Chairman of the IIMA Endowment Fund Board, goes candid in this episode of the IIMA Endowment Fund Podcast.
Founder & Group Chairman, MakeMyTrip Limited
Search every verified Deep Kalra interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Deep Kalra, founder and group chairman of MakeMyTrip and chairman of the IIMA Endowment Fund Board, appeared on the IIMA Endowment Fund Podcast on November 1, 2024, where he discussed his entrepreneurial journey and the role of the endowment fund. He recounted that MakeMyTrip initially struggled in India for its first five years due to low credit card penetration, poor internet access, and lack of consumer trust, but sustained itself by serving non-resident Indians traveling to India, who were more comfortable with online transactions. He credited the company's survival to avoiding heavy marketing spending in India during that period, and noted that a 2005 relaunch succeeded as the market matured, partly due to IRCTC's role in building trust in online payments. Kalra also spoke about the purpose of the IIMA Endowment Fund, stating that its goal is to help the institution remain a leading management school and prepare for future changes in education. He encouraged younger alumni to engage with the fund in small ways and advised students to fully commit to their studies, emphasizing that excellence and standing out are necessary for career advancement.
Deep Kalra (PGP 1992), Founder & Chairman of MakeMyTrip and Chairman of the IIMA Endowment Fund Board, goes candid in this episode of the IIMA Endowment Fund Podcast.
About Deep Kalra Deep Kalra is the Founder and Chairman of MakeMyTrip, India's leading online travel company. He started the ...
In early 2000s, a man quit his corporate job and told India it could book travel on the internet. India wasn't ready. But he waited. 26 years later—MakeMyTrip is worth billions and now, after 16 years of trading on Nasdaq, it wants to come home to Indian stock exchanges. We asked Deep Kalra the questions nobody asks him—AI killing travel agents, building for 30 languages, why he thinks every entrepreneur needs a 5-year stomach. And somewhere in between, he told us why the travel agent as you know it—is finished. Aishwarya Anand caught him at TiE Delhi-NCR's India Innovation Day. #MakeMyTrip…
India wasn't ready. But he waited. 26 years later—MakeMyTrip is worth billions and now, after 16 years of trading on Nasdaq, it wants to come home to Indian stock exchanges. We asked Deep Kalra the questions nobody asks him—AI killing travel agents, building for 30 languages, why he thinks every entrepreneur needs a 5-year stomach. And somewhere in between, he told us why the travel agent as you know it—is finished. #MakeMyTrip #DeepKalra #MMT #StartupIndia #FutureOfTravel #ArtificialIntelligence #cnbctv18 #businessnews #businessnewstoday #businessnewsinenglish 🔴CNBC TV18 LIVE TV: https://y…
Deep Kalra is the Founder and Chairman of MakeMyTrip, India's leading online travel platform. Founded in 2000, MakeMyTrip ...
What does it take to build a company that lasts? In the first episode of Path to Profitability from The Founder’s Ledger, Deep Kalra, in conversation with Rohit Sarin reflects on the journey of building MakeMyTrip over 25 years- through moments of uncertainty, critical decisions, and long-term conviction. This conversation goes beyond milestones and headlines. It explores the phases that truly define a business- the periods where clarity, discipline, and resilience shape what comes next. In this episode, we explore: Navigating uncertainty in the early years Why resilience often outweighs br…
In this episode, we bring together three distinct generations of travel founders – Deep Kalra (MakeMyTrip), Aloke Bajpai (ixigo), ...
In this segment, Deep Kalra of MakeMyTrip opens up about how he approached the transition from founder-operator to strategic advisor, including the challenge of staying involved without undermining leadership — and how trust enables smoother transitions and helps build lasting organisations. Watch the full episode - • BTL Ep 01 | The Man Who Put India's Travel... Key Quote- “As a founder, stepping back is tough. I still give feedback, but how the team fixes it is their problem. Once you give someone the mantle, you have to give it fully. You can’t step back halfway.”
Deep Kalra, the Founder of MakeMyTrip, is a living legend in India's startup ecosystem. In this exclusive video, we break down the ...
In this weekday episode of the *Blume Podcast*, Karthik Reddy sits down with co-founders Deep Kalra and Rajesh Magow to chat ...
How do you go from sleeping in second-class train containers to raising a $3.1 billion fund? In this episode, host Anant Kumar and ...
How do you survive near-bankruptcy, pioneer a new travel model for India, ride through pandemics and stay optimistic about an ...
“I think you have to be all in. It's not a question of how much time. It's a question of in search of excellence that famous book we read. It's a question of that in pursuit of excellence you get the best you can because you have to stand out. Only one or two companies in that whole vertical are going to work. Only one or two people in that entire department might get promoted. You want to move fast, you want to be a ”
“The whole purpose of the endowment we don't want to forget for a minute is to help alma mater ensure we remain numero uno for you know decades to come I'd love to say for a century but I think we don't know how far that'll or what we'll be but we have to think forward. We have to be future proofed. We have to be ready for the changes in management education before they come and hit us like a tidal wave.”
“I think the whole approach was now that we're getting so in 2005 we got uh safe partners which is now called elevation they came came in and they put 9 million in the business and they bought out all the angels etc etc but 9 million fresh 9 million 2005 was also a lot of money that's probably 100 million today or whatever so I think the approach was always we're going to use this money to do what we are doing better ”
“So, I think if you're in the early days, you have to first get some share. And if you have It's It's a function of scale of where are you on evolution cycle? What scale are you? And secondly, it's a function of how much cash you have. So you can go for market share growth only if you have the cash to invest in it. Behind it. Or you have to then say, "Let me really, really fix unit economics and grow in a calibrated m”
“I think resilience is number one. And it's very underrated. People talk about, you know, innovativeness and people talk about brilliance. All are important. Everything is important. But resilience is the most important to be able to take the blows and live another day. Live another So only when you live another day and times change. Things change. And in 2005 we saw a totally different India ready to buy online. 2005”
“I think almost like a little idealistic but not a ministry but a department for startups at least for the early 3 years get started have an idea it's like take care of all of that stuff like yes I want to set up a company but I don't want to get bogged down with that I want to know what are my you know what what do I need to do from a reporting point of view from a tax point of view legal point of view statutory poin”
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