The present-day business system is very complex and elaborate and to attain success for any business organization, determination of its objective is very essential. Setting up a realistic & transparent approach is considered to be the key to achieving business objectives.
One such eminent organization that stands firm on the pillars of adequate market research and planning is Upcurve Business Services Pvt Ltd. Founded in 2012 and registered under Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Govt of India, it’s brand ‘udChalo’ terms itself as the ‘Recognized Travel Partner for Indian Armed Forces’ and an accredited member of IATA. This exclusive cover story edition showcases the odyssey of this organization and celebrates the intent and success of udChalo.
The inception of this idea for such a venture lies in the background of the people behind it. The foundation of udChalo was aimed to innovate a platform that helps the Indian Defence personnel and their dependents to travel at utmost ease. Sky-touching prices and unavailability of tickets has always been a point of pain for these personnel while trying to book their tickets. Identifying this focal point, udChalo has committed itself in bridging this gap by offering tech-based travel solutions by aligning with all major national travel partners.
While this emotional connect, blended with huge gratitude towards the forces was the spark, the fact that the Co-Founders themselves having Defence backgrounds cemented & crafted this business model.
udChalo – Giving Wings to Dreams
This epic journey started with just 10 professionals and today it stands tall & mighty with over 150+ professionals carrying required expertize in different areas. The company also generates employment opportunities to Army Veterans, Veer Naaris, and Dependents, comprising 70 % of its existing workforce. Being a recognized Online Travel Platform for the Armed Forces and taking the spotlight on various occasions, team udChalo has set the right trajectory of growth. It has been accredited by Silicon India as one of the top 10 OTA’s (Online Travel Agency) that focuses exclusively on the Armed Forces and their Dependents. In addition to this achievement, udChalo recently won the Entrepreneur India Award for the ‘Travel Start-up of the year 2019’.
Having serviced more than two million people, empowering them with enhanced travel opportunities, it stands true to its motto – ‘Service for Services’. The company aims at making life simpler by building unique, convenient, and cost-effective platforms for the soldiers to access consumer products and services and is working on exploring new mediums to reach out to them. Partnering with major airlines including Indigo, Spicejet, Go Air, Air Asia, and Air Vistara, it has successfully created a PAN-India network that enables them to cater to the needful. Having 60 booking offices at different Defence establishments across the country, it has weaved the connectivity web in a very effective manner.! udChalo operates in the niche market segment catering to the Indian Armed Forces and the solutions are specifically designed and developed keeping a soldier’s needs as the focal point. Besides this, it also offers other services such as:
Re-employment of differently abled soldiers: With a broader objective of ‘giving back’ to the forces, it operates a fully functional and professional customer care centre at Paraplegic Rehabilitation Center (PRC) Pune and Mohali. This helps to engage the differently abled soldiers for excellence in customer service.
Single Portal for all Defence fares: Offering a plethora of viable travel solutions from a single portal, it also aims to build the brand and a long-lasting relationship with the Defence community.
A Mighty Show of Competence & Excellence
Varun Jain – CEO & Director | Ravi Kumar – COO & Director – Upcurve
This dynamic duo jointly founded udChalo and both have one thing in common – the aspiration to dream big and give their best shot! Let’s unveil the journey of these professionals and understand what makes them so exceptional.
Varun Jain – A technocrat with over 15 years of experience in travel & technology, he has worked with Persistent Systems and is also the founding member of Tavisca Solutions Pvt. Ltd. He is quite passionate about new Ideas evaluation, conceptualization, and execution of innovative technology solutions in travel and consumer space. At Upcurve, he manages the management strategies and technologies related to growth and scale.
Ravi Kumar – A Graduate from Army Institute of Technology – Pune, he has worked with Faurecia Automotive, Dassault Systems before founding this platform. At udChalo, he manages Defence Relations, Vendor management, and Operations departments. It was 2011 when he decided to follow his instincts and aspired to do something more, that eventually made him an entrepreneur. For his achievements and contributions to the travel industry and armed forces, he was recently conferred with the ’40 under 40 most influential Asians’ award.
Technology – The Ultimate Game Changer
Technology has been at the forefront of every change, especially over the last few decades. The tourism industry has also witnessed major transformations with the evolution of online platforms, smart applications and much more. The business model designed by team udChalo is based on a three-pronged approach:
Online portal: The company has embraced technology to the core as the Indian market is regarded as one of the fastest-growing markets in terms of internet penetration. Utilizing every possible channel, it has launched an app that is available on Play Store alongside having a user-friendly website that gives a seamless experience while surfing on desktop, laptops and on smartphones.
Offline touch: By having 60 travel booking offices, especially in remote areas and territorial borders, udChalo effectively manages the travel needs of our soldiers. Wherever the Internet is not an option due to connectivity, logistics, weather and more, the team has booking offices set up and run mostly by the veterans that aide the forces in booking their last-moment tickets.
Personalized Flavor: Alongside the portal and booking offices, udChalo also reaches out directly to its customers via several interaction portals, awareness sessions and more. By educating and addressing concerns related to travel, website bookings, internet banking and spreading awareness sessions on latest Government guidelines on travelling and LTC claims , it aims to add value to its service offerings and touch the lives of the guardians of our nation.
Eclipsing Challenges and Rising to the Occasion
udChalo caters to a very niche segment of customers that are from the Armed Forces community. As an online travel leader within this space, it closely monitors the new and dominant trends in the market to inform the business and products decisions. The travel industry, in general, has also seen the advent of many new businesses who are challenging the norm. With multiple such players providing various choices to their customers, it will create a new, better world of travel where businesses will be able to touch the lives of their consumers in a more meaningful and impactful manner.
The Founders are focused on building a robust team and leadership family that can take ownership and accountability to live the growth aspirations and work towards achieving it together. In its effort to create a long-term customer relationship, it has successfully walked a long way by reaching out to people and creating countless success stories. Today the customers are more like an extended family rather than just being customers! In its endeavour to make travelling more convenient & accessible for the forces, it regularly explores new mediums, business models and aligns with airline partners to offer comprehensive solutions.
udChalo – The inside Story of Serving the Services
