SteppinOut

SteppinOut, founded in Bengaluru in 2014 by Safdhar Adoor, established itself as an event and experience curator. Initially, the company operated as a membership-based service, offering an app that provided users with discounts and deals at premium restaurants and pubs in Bengaluru. The business model focused on aggregating a network of high-end venues and offering exclusive access and benefits to its subscribers.

The company's core offering evolved to curating and organizing a wide range of offline events. These experiences included large-scale food festivals, night markets, live comedy shows, and movie nights, demonstrating a capacity to attract significant footfall, with some events drawing up to 20,000 attendees in a single day. This strategy aimed to meet the growing consumer demand for quality, curated social experiences. The company generated revenue through these organized events, alongside its initial membership program.

SteppinOut's trajectory includes two significant acquisitions, marking key milestones in its history. In February 2021, the restaurant technology platform Dineout, owned by Times Internet, acquired SteppinOut. This move was part of Dineout's strategy to expand into live and offline experiences, leveraging SteppinOut's expertise to create an omnichannel ecosystem for its users. Subsequently, in 2022, the company was acquired again, this time by Swiggy. Following these developments, founder Safdhar Adoor, who has over a decade of experience in the F&B industry, rejoined VRO Hospitality as a Co-Founder and Director in 2023, a group he had previously co-founded in 2018.

Keywords: event curator, experience curator, live events, food festivals, night markets, comedy nights, movie nights, membership program, restaurant deals, Bengaluru startup, Safdhar Adoor, Dineout acquisition, Swiggy acquisition, offline experiences, consumer events, lifestyle membership, event management, Indian startup, entertainment events, event production