The Journey Behind Travysys: From Indian Navy to Startup Founder
A Dream That Didn’t Work Out
Manoj was born and raised in Gohpur, Assam, a small town far from the typical startup ecosystem.
Like many students, he aspired to become an engineer. He appeared for exams like IIT-JEE and AIEEE, but without access to coaching or proper resources, he couldn’t clear them.
With financial limitations at home, taking a drop year wasn’t an option. He chose to pursue a B.Sc. Physics, adjusting his path to circumstances rather than choice.
Choosing Stability: The Navy Phase
In 2012, Manoj joined the Indian Navy as a sailor, primarily to support his family during a financially challenging time.
During his service, he gained discipline, responsibility, and resilience, and participated in critical operations that shaped his mindset.
He later attempted to become an officer but couldn’t clear the final stage, leading him to rethink his future.
Taking a Risk: Leaving the Navy
In 2015, Manoj resigned from the Navy to pursue higher studies and prepare for competitive exams like CAT and UPSC.
Years of Preparation, But No Result
Between 2017 and 2021, he prepared for UPSC, appearing multiple times and even reaching interview stages, but never securing final selection.
He also worked briefly as a consultant at ICAR during this period.
Discovering Startups
In 2021, he discovered the startup ecosystem through online content and Shark Tank, which completely changed his perspective on business and entrepreneurship.
First Steps Into Entrepreneurship
In 2022, he took a 1 lakh loan and started his entrepreneurship journey with a drop shipping business, but it shut down after some time.
The Survival Phase
To sustain himself, Manoj worked as a telemarketer, swimming coach, and teacher while continuing to explore new business ideas.
Facing Continuous Failures
Then he explored multiple ideas and finally started a non alcoholic beverage startup that eventually failed, and then he started a fusion food outlet that also failed again.
Starting From Ground Zero Again
In 2024, he worked as a delivery partner and bike taxi rider to survive. In spite of all these, he was working on a new idea that is a travel tech idea and named it Aha Memories, and later he renamed it as Travysys when his startup idea got incubated in Assam Startup. And he later received 2 lakh in government funding from the CM of Assam, which helped him start everything again with full confidence.
The Birth of Travysys
He built Travysys as an AI-powered travel platform, evolving from a simple concept to a personalized travel solution. The platform was officially launched in October 2024 and acquired its first customer soon after.
Building the Right Team
Priyanshu Sharma joined as CXO, bringing experience from PhonePe, WazirX, and Vantage Circle, and helped strengthen operations and customer experience.
Where Things Stand Today
Today, Travysys is steadily growing, and Manoj is fully focused on scaling his startup.
Final Takeaway
Manoj’s journey reflects resilience, persistence, and the courage to keep going despite failures. It shows that success is often built on multiple setbacks and relentless effort. "Travysys closed its first full financial year this year with a massive success after several sleepless nights and closed the full year by serving 30+ tours and nearly 200 guests. And as of now, they have crossed sales of more than 1 crore in just a span of 18 months, and everything with zero marketing expenses, zero campaigns, everything is driven organically, and all this started from a small room in Guwahati with a single PC.