Via.com

Via.com, formerly known as FlightRaja.com, is an Indian travel portal and online travel company based in Bangalore, India. Via was founded on 25 July 2006 and incorporated in February 2007. In November 2017, Via was acquired by Ebix for $74.9 million.^[3]

Via.com

Company type	Private
Industry	Travel
Founded	2006; 18 years ago (2006)
Headquarters	Bangalore , India
Products	Booking flights, hotels, holidays, buses, trains and cars
Services	Travel booking[1]
Revenue	₹209 crore (US$29.68 million) (FY19)[2]
Operating income	₹30 crore (US$4.26 million) (FY19)[2]
Net income	₹16 crore (US$2.27 million) (FY19)[2]
Number of employees	650+
Parent	Ebix, Inc.
Website	via.com

History

Via was founded in a small garage on 9th A Main Road, 2nd Block, Jayanagar, Bangalore^[4] on 25 July 2006 (incorporated in February 2007^[4]) by Vinay Gupta, Amit Aggarwal, Harsh Azad, and Rohit Gaddi.

In 2007, Via received funding worth US$5 million from NEA IndoUS Ventures. This funding assisted Via in expanding themselves beyond airline services.^[5]

In 2010, Sequoia Capital provided a US$10 million capital infusion into Via's holding company FlightRaja Travels.^[6]

In November 2017, Via.com was acquired by Ebix for $74.9 million.^[3]

On December 17, 2023, Ebix declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy after defaulting on a $617 million loan.^[7] In March 2024, it was reported that Ebix had initiated the sale of its Indian operations, including Via.com.^[8]

Activities

It is a distributor of transportation ticketing, accommodation reservation, packaged tours, corporate travel management and other travel ancillaries. It expanded first into the Philippines, Indonesia and eventually to hundreds of cities globally.^[9][10]

The company has established a network of more than 100,000 partners across 10,000 towns and cities globally.^[1] The company offers its services through a cloud based technology platform and a 24-hour customer service call center.

References

1. "VIA partners with TravelDaily to present the 2009 China Travel Distribution Summit - 环球旅讯(TravelDaily)". 7 August 2017. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017.
2. "Ebix Travels Private Limited". Crediwatch. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
3. "Ebix Inc to buy Via.com for about $74.9 million". Reuters. 31 October 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
4. "About Us - Via.com". Via.com. 10 April 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
5. "FlightRaja Secures $5 Million Investment from NEA IndoUS Ventures". Indiaprwire.com. Archived from the original on 9 August 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
6. J, Preethi (27 January 2010). "Via (FlightRaja) To Receive $10M From Sequoia Capital". Medianama.com. Archived from the original on 9 August 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
7. "Short seller Ebix files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy". Bloomberg. 17 December 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
8. Karthik, Hamsini (10 March 2024). "EbixCash up for sale but buyers not in sight". BusinessLine. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
9. Mullins, John (3 July 2014). The Customer-Funded Business: Start, Finance, or Grow Your Company with Your Customers' Cash. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781118879139. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2017 – via Google Books.
10. The New Age Entrepreneurs. Random House India. 17 May 2012. ISBN 9788184001204. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2017 – via Google Books.