🏡 Stayzilla: what went wrong?
2005 – 2017 · Chennai / Bengaluru
A homestay and hotel network, often called the 'Airbnb of India'. It began in 2005 as Inasra and rebranded as Stayzilla.
~$33.5Mraised
12 yearsin business
1000sof towns listed
⏳ The moment: It's 2016. Your revenue has tripled this year — but your losses have quadrupled. You've spent heavily on marketing and discounts, and new funding isn't coming easily. What do you do?
What would you do?
What actually happened
Stayzilla could not raise fresh money and suspended operations in February 2017, after 12 years. Reports at the time pointed to high operating costs, heavy marketing spend, and revenue that never caught up with costs.
💡 Growth that costs more than it earns isn't growth. It's a countdown.