Vistavel: Bootstrapping a TravelTech Platform to 2.6M Users
TravelTech / Bootstrapping / Growth Product Strategy
About
As founder and CEO, I bootstrapped Vistavel into one of the top travel platforms in Iran—offering bus, hotel, and flight booking via a seamless product experience. Despite being self-funded, we scaled rapidly with strategic execution and lean operations.
Challenge
We were competing against well-funded travel tech companies in a rapidly growing market. Capturing attention, maintaining trust, and scaling across multiple verticals with limited capital was the core challenge.
Solution
We built our own backend infrastructure for real-time pricing, integrated with national bus and flight APIs, and prioritized a fast, mobile-first user experience. The product was designed to reduce friction from search to checkout—driving repeat usage and word-of-mouth growth.
Results
Vistavel scaled to 2.6M users organically, becoming a trusted platform for budget-conscious domestic travelers with zero VC funding.
+2.6M
Users Across Platform
3X
Booking Services Launched (Bus, Hotel, Flight)
+6
Major Third-Party Integrations
