Checking in at the airport invokes a wave of thrill among most avid travellers — for the idea largely entails satiating one’s wanderlust. But, many a time, waiting around at the lounge can get irking, to many of us. And for those, who just can’t catch a wink of sleep, twiddling your thumb does not seem to make the cut, right? So, how about you network and meet like-minded travellers in the mean time? (with zero awkwardness, of course, thanks to customisation filters).
Gauging the pulse of the new-age jet-setter, Bengaluru boys Tarun Lala and Rahul Maheshwari have conjured up LEVO, a networking app that enables individuals to interact with like-minded people.
“You must have heard stories about people having serendipitously found individuals they have quick conversations on a flight. Those random meetings, which turned into either business, or referrals or friendship or even just entertainment for the flight without a follow through. As somebody who’s always been inquisitive and observant, such tales inspired me to make the whole concept more feasible,” enthuses Tarun, an electric engineering graduate from the Northeastern University, Boston.
Speaking about how the idea sprung out of the need to reintroduce the spark into serendipity by bringing a small element of premeditation, Rahul, an alumnus of University of Warwick, UK adds, “Frequent fliers primarily travel for work. Moreover, folks are now starting to value their time a lot more and even put a monetary number to it.The new-age Indian flyer is one who would ideally jump at the idea of networking — with an element of privacy, of course. We want to milk the opportunity of inevitable flight delays during Winter. We hope that people find value in spending that time at the lounge.”
Work aside, the enterprising duo believe in the adage, “A team who plays together, stays together”, despite following different work ways. “Our days are never the same. I love working late at night and hence sleep very late, which works out well for me. Rahul is an early riser. We usually meet at the office or Starbucks to work and have a daily agenda to do. Both Rahul and I love meeting people and we love meeting other entrepreneurs over coffee or beer to discuss personal startup journeys, people, ecosystem, new ideas etc,” adds Tarun
Hopeful yet unperturbed by the hulabaloo around the app, Rahul signs off, stating, “The whole idea was to bring about an app accessible to anyone with a valid travel itinerary. To us, it’s something that a person can start using as soon as he books his air travel, and not just at the airport. Our fingers are crossed, but we also believe in the power of a good product. So that eases our worries right there!”
