The Untold Story Of The Hosteller CEO Pranav Dangi

In this inspiring Start Up To Scale Up episode, Pranav Dangi, Founder and CEO of The Hosteller, recounts the pivotal moments that propelled him from a budget traveler bartering meals for stays across 50+ European hostels to creating India’s first large-scale backpacker hostel brand. Pranav reveals how shifting from hotel stays to hostels completely changed his travel outlook and inspired him to fill a huge gap in India’s hospitality sector by introducing and popularizing backpacker hostels. He shares candid insights on the entrepreneurial rollercoaster — navigating uncertainty, bootstrapping through early years without salary, overcoming family doubts, and facing post-COVID challenges such as scarce capital for essentials and rapid portfolio expansion from 8-9 to over 21 properties. Pranav also talks about pioneering a new hospitality segment in India and emphasizes that authenticity and dedication are key to building a lasting, impactful business.