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High volumes

Kiren says the new startup will appeal to four types of travelers. The first is domestic middle-class family travel – people who want to take their kids to see new places such as short getaways to locations in Bali or Surabaya. Another category is young professionals and couples who may not have very high disposable incomes but want to travel. Then there are business travelers traversing between countries in Southeast Asia. Lastly, he believes the low prices will also attract European and American backpackers who usually stay in hostels.
Rocket Internet already has Jovago, a hotel booking site present in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, as well as parts of Africa, but Kiren says the two are not in competition with each other. Expanding Zenrooms to South Asia is something the team is considering, but if and when that does happen, the two very different sites will work in tandem.
Rocket is already ahead of its plan to bring four startups to Asia each year. The announcement was made three months ago, and in that time frame it has already launched three companies. Kiren, who previously led Foodpanda and is a veteran by Rocket Internet standards, says four startups is a “bare minimum”, and the “commitment given to investors.” There will, most likely, be more.

“We’re so bullish on underserved markets in Southeast and South Asia that wherever we see opportunity we’ll try to capitalize on it,” he explains.