Ziptrrip Acquires HelloTravel to Build MICE and Business Leisure Play
Ziptrrip, the Mumbai-based AI-powered corporate travel and expense management platform, has acquired HelloTravel Online Private Limited in what marks its first buyout within three years of operations, the company announced on May 25, 2026. The transaction sees HelloTravel, an 18-year-old travel marketplace that was demerged as an independent entity in 2018 from a publicly listed firm, become a wholly owned subsidiary of Wayfarers Technologies Private Limited, Ziptrrip's parent company, significantly strengthening its play in business leisure and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions).
The acquisition extends Ziptrrip's footprint beyond its core corporate travel offering into experiential and group travel segments that demand stronger supply networks and higher levels of execution. As part of the transaction, HelloTravel's founders Pankaj Agarwal and Mohit Shrivastava will exit the business, while the existing operational team will be retained to ensure continuity of partner relationships and execution standards built over nearly two decades.
A Three-Year Sprint to Scale
Founded in 2020 and operating under the legal entity Wayfarers Technologies Private Limited, Ziptrrip has, in a relatively short span, established itself as a credible player in India's corporate travel landscape. The platform has facilitated over 2 lakh trips across more than 650 corporate clients, focusing on streamlining travel through automation, policy-led bookings and AI-driven insights that optimise cost and efficiency.
According to Tracxn data, the company has raised approximately $491,000 across four rounds to date, with its most recent $238,000 seed round closing in August 2024 led by angel investor Prantik Dasgupta, alongside earlier backers smartSense Consulting Solutions, Shain Nair and Rahul Kumar. The startup was last valued at ₹23.8 crore ($2.86 million) as of April 2024. Financially, Ziptrrip turned profitable in FY 2024-25, posting revenue of ₹1.47 crore ($173K) — a 140% year-on-year jump from ₹61.1 lakh in FY 2023-24 — and a net profit of ₹3.8 lakh against a loss of ₹23 lakh in the prior year. The company is led by co-founders Shan Prabhakaran (CEO) and Rishabh Agarwal (COO), both Mahindra Group alumni.
HelloTravel's Two-Decade Marketplace Legacy
HelloTravel brings to the table a legacy of over 18 years, having evolved into one of India's largest marketplaces for travel agents. The Noida-headquartered platform connects users with more than 7,000 verified travel partners across destinations, offers over 2 lakh experience-led travel packages and has cultivated a community of more than 1.5 million organic followers. To date, it has served over 1 crore travellers across more than 10,000 destinations.
HelloTravel was founded in 2008 by Pankaj Agarwal, an IIM Indore alumnus and serial entrepreneur, alongside Dinesh Agarwal and Madhup Agrawal. Tracxn data shows HelloTravel ranked 10th among 185 competitors in the holiday packages marketplace category, with annual revenue of ₹1.79 crore ($211K) as of March 31, 2025 — a 33% year-on-year growth — and a marginal net loss of ₹9.7 lakh, sharply narrower than the ₹1.13 crore loss recorded in FY 2023-24. The company remained bootstrapped throughout its journey, never raising external equity funding.
Building a Full-Stack Corporate Travel Thesis
"HelloTravel brings deep partner relationships and destination expertise built over years, which allows us to expand meaningfully into MICE and Business leisure. Our focus will be on building on this foundation and working closely with partners to unlock new opportunities. Through this, Wayfarers aims to craft a powerful and differentiated thesis within the corporate travel landscape, shaping the future of how organizations approach business travel," said Shan Prabhakaran, Co-founder and CEO, Ziptrrip.
The buyout is expected to unlock meaningful synergies, enabling Ziptrrip to construct a more integrated and resilient supply network spanning travel agents, destination management companies (DMCs) and hospitality partners. The company intends to leverage HelloTravel's network to deliver flexible, customised solutions across corporate travel programmes, business leisure and MICE with greater control over execution. At a strategic level, the acquisition positions Wayfarers Technologies as a differentiated full-stack platform combining travel management, expense management and experiential travel — a foundation the company believes is critical for sustained domestic growth and eventual global expansion.
"What stands out about HelloTravel is the strength and depth of its partner ecosystem. Combined with Ziptrrip's AI led infrastructure and demand capabilities, it creates a strong platform to deliver more customized and high quality travel experiences, especially in segments like MICE where execution and reliability are critical," added Rishabh Agarwal, Co-founder and COO, Ziptrrip.
Commenting on the transaction, Pankaj Agarwal, Co-founder and CEO, and Mohit Shrivastava, Co-founder and COO at HelloTravel, jointly said in a statement, "HelloTravel has been built on the foundation of strong, long-standing relationships with travel partners and a deep understanding of evolving traveler needs. As we become part of Ziptrrip, we see a natural alignment in vision and capabilities. Their technology-led approach combined with our partner ecosystem creates a powerful opportunity to scale further, while continuing to deliver value to both partners and travelers."
About Ziptrrip
Ziptrrip is a corporate travel startup dedicated to optimising travel costs and time for companies while revolutionising the travel booking experience through digitisation. The platform enables corporations to automate travel bookings, streamline approval processes and implement dynamic travel policies using intelligent algorithms. By eliminating reliance on traditional travel agents, Ziptrrip offers best-in-industry pricing and access to corporate fares with minimal cancellation fees. Leveraging advanced technology and AI, the platform analyses customer travel patterns and policy compliance to deliver value through a meta-supply backend, and is available across four access modes — web platform, mobile web, Android app and iOS app.
