Kanupriya Poddar, CEO of MagickWorld on building India’s first travel platform for kids.
JAN 28, 202641 MIN
Kanupriya Poddar, CEO of MagickWorld on building India’s first travel platform for kids.
JAN 28, 202641 MIN
Description
Reinventing Kids Hospitality in India. Today my guest is Kanupriya Poddar, CEO of MagickWorld. She is building a platform to help parents discover kid-friendly stays, experiences, shops, and enrichment services across cities. In this episode, she shares how she launched MagickWorld alongside her 8-year-old daughter (a mini-entrepreneur, Shark Tank fan, business mindset!), onboarded 100+ local businesses within two months of soft launch, and cracking the distribution model. She reflects on lessons from her McKinsey background, explains why she prefers top-down strategy over bottom-up execution, and talks about bootstrapping, investor interest, the pressure of startup life , and staying grounded with advice from her father. And finally she shares must visit Jaipur recommendations, including places to see, do, and eat, along with advice for anyone considering leaving a corporate career to build a startup and much more!In this episode we talk about:🚀 Building MagickWorldCreating the world’s first kids-focused lifestyle & travel ecosystemThe problem MagickWorld is solving for parents & familiesLaunching with a free directory modelOnboarding 100+ local businesses in 2 monthsCracking distribution and early customer acquisitionManaging supply & demand in a two-sided marketplace👩💼 Founder JourneyGoing from McKinsey to startup lifeLessons learned from McKinsey: simplifying complexityTackling “elephants in the room” in businessBootstrapping vs investor interestManaging early-stage pressureGetting advice from her fatherBuilding a startup while raising an 8-year-old daughterHer daughter as a mini-entrepreneur (Shark Tank fan, business mindset)🧠 Strategy & Product ThinkingTop-down vs bottom-up strategy — and why she prefers top-downDeveloping the product roadmapPricing & discovery challenges for small businessesPay-to-play discovery vs affordable visibilitySolving real customer problem statements🤖 AI, Tech & Future VisionBeing optimistic about AIBuilding an AI recommendation botThe future of kids hospitality & family travelWhat hospitality in India looks like in 2026🌏 Geography, Culture & HospitalityRunning hospitality businesses in Singapore & IndiaWhy Indians are great at hospitality globallyWhy Jaipur is the hospitality capital of IndiaStaying in Jaipur instead of moving to BangaloreJaipur’s rise in tech talent & innovationPredictions for Jaipur in the next 5–10 years🍽️ Jaipur RecommendationsBest things to see, do, and experienceWeekend itinerary ideasFood & restaurant recommendationsWhy she’s obsessed with Jaipur’s culture and energy💡 Advice & TakeawaysAdvice for people thinking of quitting corporate jobs to start a companyHiring strategy: young talent & unconventional thinkersStaying resilient as a founderLinkshttps://magickworld.in/YouTube: https://youtube.com/@magickworldindia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/magickworldindia Facebook: https://www.Facebook.com/magickworld LinkedIn: @magickworld
Hosted And Produced by Neil Patel https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/neilpatel2 Enjoyed this episode? Don’t forget to subscribe and leave us a review! Share this episode with your friends. Listen and Subscribe to More Episodeshttps://www.indianstartupshow.com/ Music by Punch Deck.https://open.spotify.com/artist/7kdduxAVaFnbHJyNxl7FWV