Chitra Gurnani Daga & Abhishek Daga
Like every ardent traveller, techies Abhishek Daga and Chitra Gurnani Daga too looked forward to the weekend and often went on adventure trips together. They enjoyed these trips, but the sparse information available on the web about the activities they loved so much disappointed them. Furthermore, the operators and vendors managing these activities did not deliver a quality experience to customers. Sensing an opportunity with a high-growth potential, Abhishek and Chitra quit their comfortable IT jobs and co-founded Thrillophilia in 2011 as a pure-play adventure company which curated and listed adventure operators.
The adventures they have had on this entrepreneurial journey have made quitting their jobs and starting Thrillophilia worthwhile. During the first two years, they learned that operating in such a niche market was restricting their reach and their vision of making Thrillophilia the hub for all travellers. They tweaked their model to increase their customer base, and to engage with them more closely. They pivoted and started catering to the needs of a larger audience by featuring experience providers instead of only listing adventure activities providers on their website. Initially, they catered to a B2B customer base and were able to generate revenues quickly. On the back of this, they dived headfirst into the B2C space to provide the individuals, their fellow travellers, the opportunity to experience amazing trips.
“Stick to the basics. Stick to the fundamentals of running a business.”
Having traversed this adventure-filled path for more than six years, Abhishek and Chitra find themselves transformed as individuals. From excited and amateur entrepreneurs, the duo has now become more mature and are determined leaders at the helm of an enterprise. Today, Thrillophilia is India’s biggest platform for travel activities and experiences and lists 3500+ operators from 200+ cities across India and 15+ Asian countries. They understand and appreciate the enormity of the responsibility on their shoulders arising from the trust their customers and operators have placed on their organisation.
Abhishek and Chitra, now, have their eyes set on the Asian market. Their determination to delight their fellow travellers i.e. their customers is unflinching. As the next big step towards achieving this goal, they have now begun collaborating more closely with their vendors by investing in their operations and coaching them to become more customer friendly. This duo is now powering into the future, and they are all set to thrill!