Leamigo: Making travel easy for everyone across globe.

Leamigo is a Mumbai based startup founded by  Shaheen M. They are trying to make travel easy for travellers.

 

I am a travel buff and have travelled to 20+ countries.  I have my operations in 52+ countries,and  this is exciting enough reason for me to explore more countries.

 

 

We got an opportunity to talk with Shaheen, the founder of Leamigo and see what she has to say? I am sure her interview with us will inspire you

 

 

Give a brief info about your startup?

Leamigo is born  to make it easy for travellers to meet locals who are passionate about their city and want to share their knowledge and experience at the same time for locals to be able to get to know the world through the people who come to visit their city; a chance to travel the world without leaving home.

We let our customers book experiences which are designed by our local amigo and are not time bound. All depending on the travellers availability and their likes and interests which can be customized

We have around 1000 amigos network across various cities, and handpicked customized experiences, activities and things to do for travellers in 52+ cities.

 

 

 

What made you start your startup and what problem does it solve?

As I got to experience being in different parts of the world and heard friends share their travel stories, made me realize that the best travel experiences are when we make a meaningful connection not only with the place but with its people.

As I think back on all the people I have met during my travels, I realize that it is the people that made the difference between a place that I simply passed through and one that stayed imprinted in my memory. It was people that brought the place to life.

 

Unfortunately, our networks only extend so far and it can be difficult to meet someone spontaneously during our travels. There are cultural differences, language barriers and the busyness of modern life that can get in the way.

Leamigo aims to transform the way people travel; to make it as much about the people we meet, as it is the places we see.

And gradually leamigo was born to solve this problem.

 

 

Tell us about yourself, your previous jobs/ventures? What were you doing before this startup?

I was working for my family construction business for the past 15+ years and was actively involved with lot of NGO’s and counselling courses as well.

My other co-founder Nazeeb Ahmad is an IIT Bombay alumni and has worked with eminent startups like Ziffy, Billdesk as Technical and Product Head.

While my second co-founder Khalid Ali is a data analyst and has been working with prominent organisations as business and data analyst.

 

 

Where is your startup based out of? Why do you think that is the best place for you?

We are based in Mumbai and have been residing here for many years. Have good network of people and credibility which definitely adds to the reason of having a base here.

 

 

As a startup founder, what are you paranoid about? What keeps you awake at night?

I am apprehensive about the technicality of the product and quality provided to our customer base.I would rather love to have 10 happy customers with us  rather than 100 unhappy ones.

 

 

Who are your competitions and how are you better than them?

In India we have THRILOPHILIA. When it comes to Asia, we have KLOOK and GET YOUR GUIDE in Europe.

What we offer is personalised unique experiences specially designed by our locals keeping in mind the likes and interests of our travellers. We allow our customers to book local guides on hourly basis.

 

 

How hard is it to have a work life balance as a startup founder and how do you manage it?

I have been blessed to have an equally crazy and enthusiastic team which motivates me to juggle work and home simultaneously and bring about a fantastic balance.

If you have an awesome team then work life balance is never a problem

 

 

Have you raised funding? If yes, then we would like to know the details. If no then please tell us if you are looking to raise.

Yes, we have raised an angel round of funding through family & friends and we are currently looking for a bigger Seed Fund by end of Dec 2018.

 

 

What’s the biggest misconception people have about you? Why do they have that? What’s the reality?

Since I am into Business from  past many years and have been an avid traveller myself, people feel that working on a travel startup is a cakewalk, but what I face and learn here everyday is quite contrary and challenging.

 

 

What gets you excited about this company?

I am a travel buff and have travelled to 20+ countries.  I have my operations in 52+ countries,and  this is exciting enough reason for me to explore more countries.

 

 

Tell us how a day in your life looks like? Your schedule for a day right from the time you get up till you hit the bed at night.

My normal work day begins with finishing house hold chores and heading to office by 11am. The day progresses by meeting vendors, suppliers,taking skype calls with vendors abroad matching different time zones. Apart from this keeping a check on my amigos and product enhancement. Frankly speaking there is no fixed time for day end.

 

 

Tell us about your team and how did you meet each other?

You won’t believe my co-founders whom I met on my traveling expeditions, joined in this venture out of the same passion for travelling as me. We are diverse team with different backgrounds(Tech, Operations, Data Scientist, Finance) but sharing a common passion of “changing the way people travels”.

 

 

 

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