Voyagu

Ivan Saprov brought ten years of tech company building and eight years in the travel industry to the table when he co-founded a travel agency with a friend. Working in sales and operations at European and American travel agencies, he noticed a critical market gap: travel agents were losing customers to direct-to-consumer platforms because they couldn't match their speed or prices. The real problem wasn't that agents lacked skills—it was that they lacked technology. Legacy systems from host agencies were sluggish, inflexible, and undermining customer confidence. Ivan believed that technology could automate routine tasks, freeing agents for quality customer interaction while giving them the speed to compete. "No one has integrated agents and clients into a single system using technology," he realized. That insight became Voyagu.

Ivan's approach was methodical: understand the users' pain points before building anything. Voyagu had two distinct users—travelers and travel agents—so he ran a research study with large numbers of agents. The findings were illuminating: 60% of travel advisors didn't believe they could boost income due to lack of tools, yet over half believed technology would be a key growth driver. Armed with these insights, Ivan, his head of engineering, and head of UX design began crafting the first prototype. The journey wasn't smooth. Ivan's initial choice of CTO was wrong, leading to two subsequent engineering team changes that cost him two years and $600,000. But failure taught him a crucial lesson: the right team is a company's most valuable asset. Once he rebuilt the engineering team, they deployed the backend in just two months—a pace that defied expert predictions of a three-to-five year timeline. Within 18 months total, Voyagu had its search engine, platform, and client portal ready for market.

Ivan initially believed only in digital acquisition channels, but studying successes like Airbnb and Hopper showed him the power of branding. He shifted strategy to emphasize client satisfaction, quality communication, and design. That focus paid dividends. By Q3 2023, Voyagu achieved a 54% repeat booking rate—a testament to product-market fit. Beyond repeat customers, the company leaned on word-of-mouth and referrals. Ivan invested in brand awareness, design, and positioning, complemented by an SEO-driven strategy to bring organic traffic and PR activities to generate awareness. The combination of satisfied customers and organic channels created a virtuous cycle of growth.

Voyagu is scaling with ambition. Ivan's target is 1 billion in gross bookings per year—less than 1% of the global travel industry, illustrating the massive opportunity. He's building for the post-pandemic travel landscape, where consumers demand flexibility and transparent pricing, not discriminatory markups on empty seats. The platform continues to improve, leveraging ML technology to enhance the traditional travel sector. Ivan's vision is clear: use technology to simplify travel complexity, make it cost-effective for clients and agents alike, and create unforgettable experiences for travelers while building booming businesses for travel advisors.