STARTUP STAGE: Seeru is a marketplace to help Muslims travel across the U.A.E

Seeru

Seeru is based in the United Arab Emirates and raised undisclosed pre-seed funding in March 2024.

The company said it is launching a first in the region app that aims to serve 90 million out of 2 billion Muslims, making Umrah accessible through its tech-driven approach.

What is your 30-second pitch to investors?

Seeru is an all-in-one travel marketplace focused on lowering travel costs and making travel more affordable for corporations, agencies and consumers through technology integration. We empower travel wholesalers to access global markets and increase their revenue through our B2B and B2B2C solutions. We are launching a first in the region app that aims to serve 90 million out of 2 billion Muslims, making Umrah accessible through our tech-driven approach.

Describe both the business and technology aspects of your startup.

Business: Seeru focuses on flight integration sourcing and distributing to key markets and extending our API to consumers and companies or agencies. 

Technology: Our business model is a fully integrated, multi-product and multi-platform marketplace running on our own proprietary IT systems.

Give us your SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis of the company.

Strengths: Comprehensive travel solutions for diverse clients. Strong technological integration. Focused niche with Ehram app targeting Muslim pilgrims 

Weaknesses: Initial market penetration challenges for B2C. Lack of big marketing budget 

Opportunities: Expanding the addressable market to more than 90 million Muslims. Potential for partnerships with corporations and agencies 

Threats: Competitive travel tech market. Economic downturns affecting travel industry 

What are the travel pain points you are trying to alleviate from both the customer and the industry perspective?

Customer perspective: High travel costs. Lack of affordable options for Umrah 

Industry perspective: Limited market reach for travel wholesalers. Inefficient booking processes

So you've got the product, now how will you get lots of customers?

We plan to leverage our existing database, network, strategic partnership, events and digital marketing.

Tell us what process you've gone through to establish a genuine need for your company and the size of the addressable market.

We've conducted market research indicating a significant demand for affordable travel solutions and Umrah-specific services. The global Muslim population is approximately 2 billion, with 80 million identified as our initial target market.

How and when will you make money?

We will generate revenue through transaction fees, subscription models for our B2B and B2B2C platforms and premium services on the Ehram app. Monetization began in Q4 2023 upon product launch.

What are the backgrounds and previous achievements of the founding team?

Two of our founders have successfully scaled a grocery delivery and online travel agency into a multi-million dollar business, leveraging their expertise as technology leaders and co-founders.

The third founder brings 19 years of extensive experience in business development, corporate strategy, fintech, mobility, travel and hospitality across five different countries.

What's been the most difficult part of founding the business so far?

Our biggest challenge has been the continuous development and enhancement of our technology and product, along with injecting sufficient funds into marketing efforts.

Generally, travel startups face a fairly tough time making an impact - so why are you going to be one of lucky ones?

Our strong network, developed through the founders' previous ventures across five countries, gives us a solid foundation. Our tech expertise and experience in operating in challenging markets set us apart. Additionally, we're making offline airline content available online to a broad consumer base, ensuring accessibility and convenience for travelers.

A year from now, what state do you think your startup will be in?

In a year, we expect to have a solid user base for our travel marketplace and distribute flight content to top players in three regions with three solid global products.

What is your end-game? 

We aim for steady and organic growth, ultimately intending to remain private, though this could change at anytime. The travel industry holds immense potential with numerous problems to solve, and we are committed to addressing these challenges and achieving lasting impact.