Two Indian Start-ups receive the highest grants from Booking.com’s €2 million fund

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[dropcap]A[/dropcap]msterdam: Booking.com announced the 10 sustainable tourism startups receiving scaling grants as part of its 2018 Booking Booster accelerator program. After three weeks of workshops and intensive coaching sessions led entirely by Booking.com employees and experts, the program culminated in a final pitch to receive grants of up to €500k from Booking.com’s €2 million fund in order to help support the next stage of the startups’ projected growth.
The 10 teams of finalists pitched their scaling plans to a live audience and panel of expert judges in Amsterdam, with Indian startupsSakha Consulting Wings: Women on WheelsandGlobal Himalayan Expeditionbeing awarded this year’s highest grants of €325k and €400k respectively. Sakha Consulting is a unique social enterprise, launched to offer safe transport solutions for women by women in selected cities in India, providing livelihoods with dignity through professional driving opportunities to resource-poor women as part of the “Women on Wheels” (WOW) initiative. Global Himalaya Expedition (GHE) organizes impact expeditions to provide clean energy and digital education access to the remote mountain communities of the Himalayas, helping to put them on the map for future travelers to explore.
“The vision and passion that we’ve seen from all the startups this year has been truly inspiring,” saidGillian Tans, President and CEO of Booking.com. “I was especially impressed with Wheel the World’s moving mission to empower people with disabilities to explore the world within the adventure travel sector, Sakha’s commitment to empowering women in India to take control of their livelihoods and of course with how GHE is literally bringing light to remote mountain villages through their Himalayan expeditions. We’re all looking forward to seeing how their plans unfold over the coming weeks and months as we work together to bring their vision for a more sustainable travel industry to even more destinations worldwide.”
“With India’s Authenticook taking out one of the highest grants at last year’s inaugural Booking Booster event, it’s clear that India is an important source of talent when it comes to startups. We are delighted that two startups from India with great ideas focused on sustainable tourism were a part of the grand finale and both have received a combined total grant of €7.25 lakhs. Our aim is to build a network of like-minded organisations and individuals that are leveraging technology to create a more sustainable future for destinations worldwide as such initiatives further expand our commitment to make a positive impact globally.”said Ritu Mehrotra, Country Manager India, Booking.comon the sidelines of the Booking Booster finale held at Tobacco theatre, Amsterdam.
The 10 startups that participated in the 2018 program hail from six different countries and operate collectively across six continents, including Antarctica. Their businesses also represent a diverse mix of innovative online marketplaces that connect travelers with inclusive travel experiences, cutting-edge technology solutions and initiatives that empower local communities to benefit more equally from the global tourism opportunity.
“Booking Booster provided us with some much-needed time to reflect, re-strategize and fire up our rockets. It has given us new perspectives and tools for analyzing our business, as well as the insights to synchronize our impact and business narrative,” said Meenu Vadera, Founder ofSakha Consulting. “We will use the fund to scale up our capacity, improve operational efficiency and multiply our impact exponentially. Over the next two years, this funding will enable us to provide livelihoods in transport to over 1,000 resource-poor women, who will be able to earn collectively over 2 million euros for themselves and their families and provide 1.1 million safe rides to women across India.”
“The Booking Booster has been extremely beneficial to GHE and has helped us to understand the dynamics of customer development while still maintaining a deep, tangible impact for indigenous communities around the world,” saidJaideep Bansal, Energy Access Leader at Global Himalayan Expedition.“This grant will enable us to scale our operations to other geographies and empower us to conduct 160 impact expeditions with 2,500 tourists, bringing electricity to 100,000 villagers and in the process offsetting 9,000 tons of CO2 emissions.”