Disruptive MBA Startups You've Never Heard Of
Inc.|October - November 2020
Some of the hottest ventures currently coming out of the world’s best business schools
By Jeff Schmitt
Disruptive MBA Startups You've Never Heard Of

HOW DO YOU REJUVENATE AN INDUSTRY?

GIVE AN ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDED MBA A CRACK AT IT.

THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY. Over the past decade, bookings have risen as do-it-yourself digital platforms made travel more accessible. Standing out in an already crowded marketplace is the stuff of Entrepreneurship 101: You target an underserved niche like extreme sports enthusiasts. That’s the sweet spot for Mapo Tapo.

The firm’s founders include a trio of 2020 INSEAD MBA graduates: Alessia Fontanari, Daniele Packard, and Anuj Karkare. Mapo Tapo started out like most ventures: a group of climbers fused their passion for extreme sports with something larger, sparking economic growth in underdeveloped communities in an environmentally-responsible way. In response, they created a sports tourism platform, where consumers book novel experiences with local guides and hosts.

“Extreme sports enthusiasts want to travel off-the-beaten-track but often settle for crowded places because they are the only ones with information that is accurate, reliable, and easy-to-find,” explains Fontanari. “We enter the travel industry with a Blue Ocean approach, reaching users through the sports community, which already exists and is very active, instead of fighting within the competitive travel industry.”

NEW MBA-FOUNDED DISRUPTORS

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