How India inspired Omio founder Naren Shaam to hit the ground running to revamp global travel

Travel tech unicorn Omio owes its inception to a moment of frustration. 

The idea for developing a tech platform focused on ground transport was born out of tech entrepreneur Naren Shaam’s struggle to book a train ticket from Paris to Amsterdam way back in 2012. 

This experience made Shaam, Founder & CEO of Omio, realise that the world of travel was focused primarily on airlines and accommodation and there weren’t solutions that consolidated ground transport options such as buses and trains. 

“I realised that the whole world of travel is divided into airlines, which you can buy pretty much on any website, hotels, and now alternative accommodations. But the ground transport market was really fragmented—trains in Japan, India, buses in Europe, ferries in Greece. No one had consolidated all of this from a technical standpoint,” elaborates Shaam. 

Recognising this gap, Bengaluru-born Shaam took it upon himself to consolidate the fragmented market and aggregate ground transport options across geographies. In fact, the opportunity was so compelling that he decided to relocate to Berlin, where he laid the foundation for Omio.

Today, the Berlin-headquartered travel tech company is a profitable unicorn operating in 39 countries, offering a convenient platform that integrates diverse modes of transportation. It helps travellers around the world effortlessly search, compare, and book travel options such as trains, buses, flights, and ferries. 

Drawing inspiration from India

Shaam draws a lot of inspiration from India where he spent his formative years. Growing up in the country taught him the importance of hustle, hard work, and perseverance.

“Indians are incredibly hardworking and have a strong can-do attitude. The innovation here, particularly in payments and fintech, is phenomenal. When I go back to Europe, where cash is still widely used, it feels like a step back in time,” he observes.

To capitalise on the talent pool in India, Omio plans to establish a tech hub in Bengaluru with an intention to hire 30–50 people over the next six to nine months. 

“Our focus isn’t just the Indian market. We’re building global solutions out of India and integrating them into a worldwide ecosystem. This allows Indian engineers to solve global problems, not just local ones,” he says.

Shaam is also passionate about fostering gender diversity at the workplace. He has maintained a nearly 50:50 gender ratio at Omio, and hopes to achieve the same at the Bengaluru centre. 

“When we were just 10 people, we set a principle to aim for a balanced workforce. Quality and execution are always the priority; strong, equally qualified women bring immense value to the table.

“Achieving this takes effort, but the outcomes are always worth it. Today, our workforce is close to 50:50, and I remain committed to encouraging more women into the workplace,” he emphasises.

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A journey in phases

Shaam describes the journey of building Omio in three transformative phases.

In the initial phase, Shaam and his team—a lean one back then—worked relentlessly to consolidate global transport options into a single, seamless product with the goal of simplifying travel planning and elevating the travel experience for users.

This meant securing supply contracts with state-owned enterprises such as German Rail and French Rail—a process that took over two years. 

It was worth the effort, as, in three years, Omio achieved its product-market fit and rapidly scaled its operations to over 30 countries. In four-and-half-years, it had partnered with over 1,000 suppliers around the world. By 2019, the platform was available in 20 languages—a reflection of Omio’s global appeal.

“Many Indians using Omio in Europe and the United States often comment on how seamless the product is,” shares Shaam.

Omio’s second phase began with its launch in the United States in February 2020, right before the COVID-19 pandemic struck. The company faced a devastating challenge, losing 98% of its revenue overnight. 

With only a few weeks’ worth of cash in reserves, this was the hardest period for the company, Shaam recalls.

“That was the moment I realised that while we had achieved product-market fit, external events beyond my control could potentially undo everything we had built. It made me focus intently on the core value of the business, the key assets we had developed, driving efficiency and fostering innovation. I also recognised the importance of financial independence, which led us to raise funding,” he explains.

Omio has raised a total of $480 million in funding so far. It raised $80 million in its latest funding round—a Series E round in June 2022 according to data from market intelligence firm Tracxn. Its current valuation is $1 billion.

Travel began rebounding by mid-2022, marking the third phase of Omio’s journey, when the company began focusing on scaling while maintaining profitability.

Today, Omio processes over $1 billion in ticket sales annually and serves 900 million users globally. It generates about $10 million in EBITDA (about ₹90 crore) per year, as it continues to grow.

“We’re now back in expansion mode. Last week, we launched in Southeast Asia, and we are opening an India hub. But this time, I am committed to building the business super efficiently," says Shaam.

A team of 399 people—more than half of whom are engineers—is behind Omio’s endeavour to achieve efficiency and cement its position as a significant player in the global travel tech business.

Global opportunities and AI integration

As a tech platform, Omio has always been at the forefront of embracing innovation and new technologies. It began leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) long before it became a global buzzword. 

With 900 million users and 10 million daily route searches, the company manages a vast dataset—it sits atop 5,000 terabytes of historical data and tackles 15-16 gigabytes that are added every week.

A ‘daily route search’ is a process that helps determine the most efficient route/order of locations to follow on a day’s journey.

“The scale of our dataset offers immense opportunities to train AI and uncover new insights. With AI, the possibilities are limitless,” says Shaam.

He compares AI to groundbreaking technologies like computers and smartphones, emphasising its inevitability and potential. 

“AI is a transformational technology. Like the smartphone revolutionised access to the internet, AI will reshape how businesses operate. The question is how quickly companies adapt.”

Stressing the urgency for businesses to adopt AI, Shaam says, “Companies that don’t embrace AI quickly will be left behind. It’s not just a tool—it’s a transformational shift.”

Omio aims to integrate AI across its operations to enhance decision-making, optimise pricing, and improve customer satisfaction. 

Shaam envisions a culture wherein every employee, from interns to executives, asks, “How can AI do this job better than me?”

The idea is not for AI to replace employees but to create an environment that fosters innovation. 

“By transitioning to human-aided AI, teams can focus on creativity and innovation rather than routine tasks,” the founder explains.

A call to Indian entrepreneurs: Think global, stay focused

Drawing from his experience, Shaam encourages Indian entrepreneurs to capitalise on their strengths and aim for global relevance. “To make a global impact, Indian entrepreneurs must think beyond the domestic market,” he says. 

Shaam believes Indian entrepreneurs must nurse global aspirations early on in their journey. “The Indian market is vast, but that doesn’t mean companies shouldn’t scale globally. Start thinking global early—it’s an opportunity to build even larger businesses.”

He also calls for a cultural shift within organisations and urges people to strive for focus and consistency.

“Focus is crucial. Instead of juggling multiple tasks, dedicate energy to a few things and execute them exceptionally well. Leadership plays a key role in fostering this culture,” he says. 

As he looks ahead, Shaam is optimistic about India’s entrepreneurial potential. 

“With the right focus and a global mindset, Indian companies can lead innovation and achieve extraordinary success on the world stage,” he asserts.