Nishant Pitti’s story is an inspiring story. EaseMyTrip, the company he co-founded, was launched in 2008 in New Delhi, India. As of 2025, the company is valued at approximately $450 million and is one of India’s largest publicly listed online travel platforms. Serving over 25 million registered users, EaseMyTrip enables seamless bookings for flights, hotels, trains, buses, and holiday packages across domestic and international markets. The company solves the problem of hidden charges and complex travel booking by offering zero-convenience-fee pricing, transparent service, and a hybrid distribution model that caters to both B2C and B2B travelers.
Basic Details
| Origin Country | India |
| Legal Name | Easy Trip Planners Limited |
| Brand | EaseMyTrip |
| Founder | Nishant Pitti |
| Co-Founder | Rikant Pitti, Prashant Pitti |
| CEO | Nishant Pitti |
| Industry | Tourism |
| Website | www.easemytrip.com |
| Year of Founding | 2008 |
| Valuation | $450 Million (as of 2025) |
| Employees | 550+ |
| Headquarters | New Delhi, Delhi, India |
| Status | Active |
FOUNDER OVERVIEW – NISHANT PITTI
➤ Net Worth (2025)
As of 2025, Nishant Pitti’s estimated net worth is approximately $120–150 million. His wealth is derived primarily from his equity in EaseMyTrip, which is publicly listed and consistently profitable. He has steadily increased his stake in the company over the years, reinforcing long-term commitment and investor confidence.
➤ Ownership in Company
Nishant Pitti, along with his brothers, retains majority promoter ownership in EaseMyTrip—together holding over 65% of the company. Nishant takes a moderate salary and is known for a reinvestment-first philosophy. He emphasizes bootstrapped growth and capital efficiency, having scaled the business profitably without external funding.
➤ Ventures Founded
EaseMyTrip (2008): Co-founded as a flight booking service for family and friends, the company evolved into one of India’s largest OTAs.
EaseMyTrip Foundation: Actively supports education and health-focused CSR initiatives under a structured philanthropic arm.
➤ Investments
Nishant has invested in a few travel and fintech startups that align with EaseMyTrip’s ecosystem, though he remains primarily focused on scaling his core business.
➤ Recognition & Awards
- EY Entrepreneur of the Year (Nominee) – 2021
- AsiaOne Global Indian of the Year – 2022
- Featured in Forbes India Leadership Awards (2023)
- Best CEO in Travel Tech – Business World Travel Awards (2024)
PERSONAL STORY: NISHANT PITTI
Nishant Pitti was born in 1986 in Delhi, India, into a middle-class Marwari business family. Raised in a culture that deeply valued frugality, trust, and enterprise, Nishant learned about commerce from his father, who ran a small travel agency. His childhood was shaped by an ethos of responsibility—he began helping with travel bookings and client calls during school vacations. This early exposure gave him an intuitive understanding of customer needs and backend processes in travel.
Before becoming an entrepreneur, Nishant completed his graduation in Commerce from Delhi University. Though he didn’t attend any formal business school, he gained practical experience working in the family business. He always felt the traditional travel business lacked transparency and scale. The real turning point came in 2008 when he saw a gap in the online travel space, especially around convenience fees and customer service. What started as a website to book discounted air tickets for friends and family became a full-fledged platform as word-of-mouth referrals grew.
In the early years, Nishant faced several challenges—tight budgets, tech issues, and fierce competition from VC-funded rivals like MakeMyTrip and Yatra. But he stayed focused on fundamentals: service quality, low overheads, and honest pricing. He and his brothers handled everything from coding to customer calls to marketing. The company bootstrapped its way to profitability, never raising external venture capital.
Nishant’s personal growth mirrors EaseMyTrip’s evolution. Once a quiet operator behind the scenes, he now actively leads strategy, partnerships, and IPO-level governance. He continues to live simply, often credited for staying humble despite growing into a public-market leader. His story exemplifies the power of patience, family support, and customer-first thinking in building a lasting business.
FOUNDING STORY: EASEMYTRIP
Inspiration Behind the Idea
The idea for EaseMyTrip came from a simple pain point. In 2008, Nishant Pitti was managing flight bookings for his father’s travel agency clients. He noticed that frequent travelers—especially family and friends—were overpaying due to opaque convenience fees charged by major OTAs. Along with his younger brother Rikant, he launched a basic website that offered zero-convenience-fee bookings. What started as a side hustle for acquaintances quickly spread through word of mouth. They realized they had tapped into a massive underserved segment—cost-conscious travelers looking for transparency and trust. Thus, EaseMyTrip was officially launched in New Delhi in 2008.
Founding Team
The founding team included Nishant Pitti, Rikant Pitti, and later, their elder brother Prashant Pitti. The brothers brought a strong complementary dynamic—Nishant led operations and partnerships, Rikant handled the tech and backend systems, while Prashant eventually focused on marketing and business expansion. Their deep trust, shared frugality, and family-driven work ethic became the bedrock of EaseMyTrip’s culture.
Starting Capital
The company was entirely bootstrapped. The brothers pooled personal savings and used the family travel agency’s infrastructure to build the first version of the site. They chose to avoid venture capital funding, opting instead to grow slowly but profitably. This decision set them apart from competitors, especially during funding slowdowns when others struggled with burn rates.
Early Challenges
Competing against heavily funded players like MakeMyTrip and Cleartrip was no small feat. EaseMyTrip lacked flashy ad budgets and celebrity endorsements. Additionally, building trust in an emerging online travel segment took time. They dealt with server crashes, payment gateway issues, and had to manually resolve customer complaints in the early years. But their zero-convenience-fee model, combined with excellent service and transparent policies, steadily built loyalty among users.
Breakthrough
The breakthrough moment came when the company started seeing traction among Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. Word spread about a travel site that didn’t charge hidden fees and actually cared about resolving problems. Over time, EaseMyTrip expanded into hotels, trains, buses, and holiday packages. By 2019, it had grown into one of India’s top three OTAs. The IPO in 2021 was historic—not just for its market response, but because it showcased the strength of a bootstrapped, profitable startup in a highly competitive industry. By 2025, EaseMyTrip had over 25 million users and continued to grow without external capital—standing as a rare case of scale built on customer trust and operational excellence.
COMPANY PROFILE: EASEMYTRIP
EaseMyTrip is one of India’s largest online travel agencies (OTAs), offering booking services for flights, hotels, buses, trains, and holiday packages. Launched in 2008, it has become known for its zero-convenience-fee model and consistent profitability—a rarity in the travel-tech space.
Area Served
EaseMyTrip operates across India and serves international travelers through its global offices in Singapore, Dubai, Maldives, UK, and Thailand. The platform caters to both B2C users and B2B agents.
Vision & Mission
Vision: To create the most customer-centric travel platform built on transparency and value.
Mission: To simplify travel for millions by offering reliable, affordable, and honest services—backed by strong technology and human support.
Services / Products Offered
- EaseMyTrip offers a wide array of services designed to cater to both end consumers and B2B travel agents. Its platform integrates comprehensive travel solutions under one roof, focusing on value, transparency, and ease of use.
- Flight Bookings (Domestic & International)
EaseMyTrip’s core service, allowing users to book airline tickets across hundreds of domestic and international carriers. The platform offers real-time pricing, multi-airline comparisons, flexible rescheduling, and zero-convenience-fee pricing for most bookings. - Hotel & Accommodation Services
The company provides access to over a million hotels, homestays, and resorts worldwide. Users can filter by ratings, amenities, price, and locality. Dynamic discounts and bundled deals (with flights) are popular among budget and leisure travelers. - Train and Bus Bookings
Integrated with IRCTC for rail tickets and tied with leading bus operators for intercity travel. The platform offers seat selection, route suggestions, and real-time status updates. - Holiday Packages & Tours
EaseMyTrip curates group tours, customized holiday packages, and honeymoon itineraries. Packages include flights, hotels, sightseeing, transfers, and sometimes local guides. This service is popular for domestic leisure travel and international budget tourism. - Cab and Airport Transfers
Local and outstation cab bookings are available, often as an add-on to flight and hotel deals. The company partners with regional cab providers for affordable last-mile travel. - Visa Assistance & Travel Insurance
EaseMyTrip helps travelers apply for tourist visas, especially for destinations like the UAE, Thailand, Singapore, and Europe. It also provides travel insurance options through partnerships with insurance providers. - Corporate and B2B Travel Services
The platform powers white-label booking portals for thousands of agents and corporates. These include invoice-based billing, GST integration, employee travel dashboards, and business expense reconciliation. - Customer Support & Trip Management
Users can access 24×7 helplines, automated alerts, cancellations, refund tracking, and trip itinerary management via web and mobile app. Personalized support for urgent queries adds to user trust.
Business Model
The company operates as a commission-based OTA, earning margins from airlines, hotels, bus operators, and service providers. It also earns service fees from B2B partnerships and earns revenue from cross-sell opportunities.
Revenue Model
EaseMyTrip operates on a diversified and high-margin revenue structure focused on volume, efficiency, and long-term customer relationships. Here’s how it earns:
- Airline and Hotel Commissions
The primary source of income, EaseMyTrip earns commissions from domestic and international airlines for each booking. Similarly, for hotels and resorts, it receives a percentage of the booking value as affiliate or direct partner commission. - Tour Packages Margin
On customized and group holiday packages, the company earns fixed profit margins—especially from bundled bookings where it negotiates bulk pricing from suppliers. - B2B White-Label Platform Revenue
Travel agents across India use EaseMyTrip’s white-label portals to book on behalf of clients. The company charges subscription fees or per-transaction margins, depending on the agent’s volume. - Affiliate Partnerships and Cross-Sells
Revenue from travel insurance, visa processing, forex cards, and other ancillary services is earned through referral or commission-based partnerships. - Promotional Listings and Advertising
Airlines and hotels can promote their listings on the platform, especially during seasonal travel periods. These paid placements serve as a non-core but profitable income source. - Zero-Convenience Fee Upsell Strategy
While EaseMyTrip markets zero-convenience-fee bookings, the platform occasionally offers premium support, seat selection, travel protection plans, and trip add-ons for optional purchase—contributing to upsell revenue. - Corporate Travel Accounts
Large enterprises using EaseMyTrip for business travel provide recurring income via managed accounts. EaseMyTrip earns based on negotiated service fees, exclusive rates, and trip volume.
Despite never charging customers convenience fees on standard bookings, the platform thrives on backend partnerships, volume scaling, and repeat customers. This model has allowed it to stay profitable year after year—while many rivals depend heavily on deep discounts or venture capital.
Market Landscape & Competitors
EaseMyTrip competes with MakeMyTrip, Yatra, Goibibo, Cleartrip, Ixigo, and newer AI-powered travel startups. Its differentiation lies in its bootstrapped profitability, no hidden charges, and service-first brand image.
USP (Unique Selling Proposition)
EaseMyTrip’s zero-convenience-fee model, combined with efficient customer service and platform reliability, sets it apart. It’s trusted by both end users and over 20,000 travel agents across India.
Growth Highlights
- Listed on Indian stock exchanges in 2021
- Over 25 million registered users as of 2025
- Operations in 8 countries
- Profitable for over a decade
- Introduced 24×7 human-assisted support across travel categories
Funding & Investment History
Completely bootstrapped for 13 years. Listed on the BSE/NSE via IPO in 2021, raising over ₹500 crore. No external VC funding—one of the few Indian startups to reach IPO stage fully self-funded.
Awards & Recognition (Company)
- CNBC Awaaz Travel Icon (2022)
- Times Business Award – Travel Brand of the Year (2023)
- India Today’s Iconic Brand in Travel (2024)
Team Size & Culture
EaseMyTrip employs over 550 professionals. Its work culture is described as lean, founder-led, and customer-obsessed. Decision-making is fast, and teams are empowered with ownership in both product and service.
Future Plans
- The company plans to enter deeper into corporate travel, invest in AI-driven customer service, expand to Africa and Europe, and launch a premium travel concierge for global customers.
CONCLUSION
“We built EaseMyTrip with one simple idea—respect the customer’s money and time. That’s how we earned trust, and that’s how we plan to grow forever.”
—Nishant Pitti, during an investor Q&A after EaseMyTrip’s IPO (2021)
Nishant Pitti’s founder journey with EaseMyTrip is a masterclass in perseverance, clarity, and quiet disruption. Starting with no external capital and strong family support, he scaled a travel company that challenged industry norms and thrived purely on customer trust. EaseMyTrip’s rise from a bootstrapped flight booking site to a publicly listed travel-tech leader reflects the power of transparency and operational focus. Nishant proved that you don’t need hype to build scale—you need consistency, frugality, and relentless service. His story inspires founders to focus on fundamentals, honor user value, and build businesses that are as honest as they are successful.
