ibibo Group

Founded in January 2007 by Ashish Kashyap, Ibibo Group began its journey as a social networking platform before pivoting to become a major force in India's online travel sector. Kashyap, who previously served as the Country Head for Google India and established e-commerce ventures at Indiatimes.com, identified a significant opportunity in the burgeoning online travel market. The company operated as an incubator backed by South African media and internet conglomerate Naspers, which was its principal owner.

Ibibo's business model centered on providing a comprehensive suite of online travel services to consumers, generating revenue through transaction fees on bookings. The group strategically expanded its portfolio through both organic growth and key acquisitions. Its core assets included Goibibo.com, an online travel aggregator for flights and hotels, and redBus.in, India's leading online bus ticketing platform, which was acquired in 2013. Through these platforms, the group served a wide range of travelers across India, offering air tickets, hotel accommodations, bus tickets, and carpooling services. To support its ecosystem, the group also launched PayU India as a payments platform.

A significant milestone in Ibibo's history was its merger with MakeMyTrip in a stock transaction announced in October 2016 and completed on January 31, 2017. The deal, valued at approximately $1.8 billion, created India's largest online travel company. Following the merger, MakeMyTrip owned 100% of Ibibo Group, with Naspers and Tencent becoming the largest shareholders in the combined entity. The brands under the Ibibo Group, such as Goibibo and redBus, continued to operate as separate entities to cater to their established customer bases while benefiting from the scale and efficiencies of the merged organization.