This morning, I woke up to my colleague sending me a news article about the arrest of Stayzilla co-founder Yogendra Vasupal. It stated that he has been arrested on charges of defrauding an ad agency and he has reportedly confessed to the charges. However, the news article shared only a small, slightly skewed, piece of what is going on. Something that Yogendra put in detail in a blog post titled “Help! I need everybody” along with proofs to support his statements. The blog post was written by him in advance anticipating such a scenario and it was published by Rupal Yogendra at 2:22 am on March 15/2017.

You can find the full blog post here.

The ad agency in question here dismisses the claim that the payment was held due to deficiency of service. According to them, this was never communicated to them and that Stayzilla acknowledged the invoices earlier. While it won’t be right to pass verdicts here as it is for the courts to determine, it is quite apparent from his blog post and the supporting videos and audios that there is a clear situation of threat to them. The entire situation very well highlights the hollow foundation under the heavy promises of a startup ecosystem. The government has been blowing trumpets about its Startup India initiative but what good will come out if it can’t promise equality and fair law. Law enforcement agencies who don’t understand law! Dismissing real threats despite reports! Political influence dominating visible proofs!

The country can’t claim to support the startups if the root of all problems, corruption, isn’t addressed. If 70 percent of the population has first hand experience of bribery, something isn’t right. If someone with political influence has power to bend laws, there is something wrong here too. This isn’t just about what a company is facing right now. It is about the road we are paving for hundreds of other companies.

I urge the readers to help an entrepreneur by getting the attention of people who can do right in this situation. Maybe he is right, maybe he is not. But the way this situation is being dealt with clearly isn’t right. Please tweet this to PMO India, PriyankKharge and anyone else who you think can set things right.

The post Stayzilla founders are in trouble and it is time we raise our voices, for ourselves if not for them appeared first on TravHQ.

The much awaited 2-day eTailing and Travel Commerce Conference summit by IAMAI gets underway tomorrow at Hotel Lalit in New Delhi. With a cracking line-up of speakers & panel discussions on some burning topics in the travel industry, the summit holds tremendous promise for all travel marketers, analysts and media fraternity.

TravHQ is the official media supporter for the event and our team will be bringing you the latest news on both days. With less than 24 hours to go for the Conference, here are some key sessions that you should definitely watch-out:

• Our Tourism Ministry has been quite active on the digital front and had launched an Incredible India mobile app last year. Considering that the Incredible India campaign has been offline for quite sometime now, the inaugural session by Guest of Honour, Shri Suman Billa, Jt. Secretary, Ministry of Tourism should give insights into government’s latest initiatives to promote India as a tourist destination

• The morning plenary session, Impact of Travel Market Places for The Online Travel Market boasts of a fantastic line-up of panelists including Sankalp Agarwal, Chief Executive Office of Travel Triangle, Aloke Bajpai, CEO and Co-founder, ixigo, Yogendra Vasupal, Founder and CEO, Stayzilla Deepak Wadhwa, Co-founder, WeAreHolidays. The discussion would focus on building trust & customer retention in the highly challenging online travel space led by instant gratifications.
• For those who love to track emerging travel-startups, the session on Social Travel-How New Age Start-Ups Are Redefining The Travel Industry? is a must attend. The session has Gautam Shewakramani, Founder & CEO, AudioCompass, Paavan Nanda, Co-founder, Zostel & Chitra Gurnani, Co-Founder, Thrillophilia Adventure Tours and Ish Jindal, Co-founder, Padhaaro as panelists.
• We also have a session on Global Expansion In Travel And Hospitality Industry – An Appetite For Growth.
• On Day 2, the session on Social Media Driving Digital Conversations In Tourism And Hospitality Industry will capture the latest trends on how OTAs, online market places and hotels are using Social Media to attract & engage the customers.

That’s not all! Speakers from leading OTAs, Yatra & Cleartrip would be sharing the experience of their respective journeys in the competitive travel landscape. Overall, the summit is a must attend for those who want to stay updated with the latest trends in “Travel & Hospitality” industry.

If you are a Travel brand and have a story to share with us, get in touch with our team at the summit. You can give us a shout-out on our Twitter handle or write at info@travhq.com.

The post eTailing and Travel Commerce Conference Starts Tomorrow, What to Expect appeared first on TravHQ.