By FMTeam Deep Kalra is a big deal in India, why? Well, yes, he is the one who started MakeMyTrip, you know, the most popular online travel platform in our country right now. One thing we can say for sure is that yes, his approach has transformed the whole travel planning and booking market in India. Now, MakeMyTrip is one of the famous brands in India where online travel booking is done, and people can book their flight, hotel, bus, and train tickets through this site itself. Just so you know though, under the leadership of Kalra, MakeMyTrip has witnessed enormous growth and was valued at over 4 billion dollars in 2023. Thus, Kalra has gained fame not only as a business leader but also as one of the promoters of technology and innovation in India.
| Features | Details |
| Name | Deep Kalra |
| Occupation | Founder & Chairman of MakeMyTrip |
| Known For | Founding India’s largest online travel company, MakeMyTrip |
| Net Worth | $136 million (2020) |
| Age | Born 1970 |
| Education | Bachelor’s in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi; MBA from IIM Ahmedabad |
| Listed On | NASDAQ (since 2010) |
| Major Acquisitions | Goibibo, RedBus |
Early Life and Education
Born in Hyderabad, India, Deep Kalra spent his childhood in major cities like Delhi and Ahmedabad. Later on, he went to St. Stephen’s College in Delhi to study Economics, this was his education commitment right from the start. St. Stephen’s is one of the finest educational institutions in India and is known for nurturing some of the best minds in this country, right? After his graduation, Deep went on to pursue an MBA degree from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, one of the best business schools in India.
After finishing his studies, Deep Kalra entered into the corporate world starting with ABN AMRO Bank, which was one of the leading financial institutions. He then shifted to GE Capital, with which he acquired vast business and management knowledge. Though the path to a rewarding career was there for him, the entrepreneurial Kalra had his burning desire to go the extra mile for innovation and improvement, you know? And that’s kinda what he needed to start MakeMyTrip.com.
Founding MakeMyTrip
As some of you might remember, in the year 2000, MakeMyTrip was launched by Deep Kalra, and the basic target of the company was Indian travelers based in the USA who wanted to book flights back home. The goal set was a simple one, namely, to make travel planning so simple that it would replace the role of travel agents completely, you know? The first hard times were just one of the hurdles faced like the dot-com bubble crash, but still, Deep was very determined in his vision.
With the arrival of 2005, MakeMyTrip began showcasing its talents in India along with flight booking besides that it offered services like hotel reservations, holiday packages, and bus and train ticketing, which the company gradually picked up on. The platform which earlier was mainly supposed to book flights now turned out to be a full-fledged shop for travel which included the needs of the customers in their entirety across India.
MakeMyTrip’s Growth and Expansion
MakeMyTrip has expanded and grown at an astonishingly rapid pace by perfecting its services and giving additional travel assistance, we can say that for sure. Later on though, in 2010, it made history by listing on NASDAQ, becoming one of the first Indian companies to achieve this milestone. Acquisitions such as Goibibo and RedBus helped the firm to enlarge its market share further.
Deep Kalra managed to give the company a technology edge by catching up with many trends. Like, with an innovative approach, they launched mobile applications and constantly improved their services, which made complex travel reservations more comfortable, and that was kind of their USP, which still is.
Deep Kalra’s Net Worth and Financial Influence
You know, Deep Kalra’s phenomenal success with MakeMyTrip has made him a very rich man, with an approximate net worth of $136 million as of 2020. Right now though, the company itself is super strong with a market value of over $11.35 billion, making it one of the most valuable companies in the travel business by far, at least right here in India. He sure has done something remarkable, and that is more of an inspiration for many to come up with new ideas, and not just win a market segment, but create one by coming up with solutions to the problems that already exist and no one has worked on.