Travel and lifestyle startup Escape Plan has raised $5 million in a seed round led by Jungle Ventures’ First Cheque@Jungle initiative and Fireside Ventures, the company said in a press note.
Founded in 2025 by Abhinav Pathak and Abhinav Zutshi, Escape Plan is a multi-brand platform for all things travel. The platform will offer a wide range of products, from luggage and backpacks to passport covers and neck pillows, with an aim to deliver them within two hours of placing the order.
“From a solution standpoint, we’re not a luggage brand; we’re a platform. Our focus is on solving for every micro category, however small, with a distinct approach tailored to different customer needs and experiences. We’re also building a rewards ecosystem and exploring services like second-hand purchases and refurbishment. The goal is to create a focused platform that addresses all the needs of a traveller, with quick delivery and multi-brand retail stores,” said Abhinav Pathak, Co-founder and CEO of Escape Plan told YourStory.
This marks Pathak’s second venture after founding and selling retail tech company Perpule to Amazon in 2021. Zutshi has over a decade of experience in retail at Landmark Group, Forever 21, and Sahara. In his latest stint, he was operating as the chief operating officer at Splash India.
.thumbnailWrapper{
width:6.62rem !important;
}
.alsoReadTitleImage{
min-width: 81px !important;
min-height: 81px !important;
}
.alsoReadMainTitleText{
font-size: 14px !important;
line-height: 20px !important;
}
.alsoReadHeadText{
font-size: 24px !important;
line-height: 20px !important;
}
}
The Bengaluru-based company plans to reach consumers through a hybrid retail model using stores, hyperlocal delivery, and shoppable experiences.
It plans to use a part of its latest capital raise to build category depth and inventory, establish partnerships with top brands, as well as strengthen its quick commerce integration.
The fundraise would also accelerate its retail expansion. It currently has a target of about 100-plus stores in the next 18-24 months.
“Indian consumers today are exposed to global tastes but left with few local choices that reflect that sensibility. The founders bring hard-won lessons from retail and tech, and their approach to product, distribution, and customer experience is a genuine departure from the category’s legacy players, addressing a clear whitespace in the Indian consumer market,” shared Rishab Malik, Partner, Seed investments, at Jungle Ventures.
“There’s a massive opportunity to build a dedicated travel vertical today, something that wasn’t feasible even three years ago. The supply chain for travel products is fundamentally different, and existing horizontal players can’t prioritise it because it makes up less than 1% of their business. That’s where we see a gap and an opportunity to step in and enhance the entire travel retail experience,” added Pathak.
Edited by Kanishk Singh
