From Perpule to Escape Plan: Abhinav Pathak’s New Travel Venture Secures $5 Mn

Escape Plan, a travel accessories startup founded by Abhinav Pathak (co-founder of Perpule) and Abhinav Zutshi (former COO of Landmark Group), has raised $5 million (INR 43.14 crore) in a seed funding round co-led by Jungle Ventures and Fireside Ventures, with participation from several early-stage investors. Launched in 2025, Escape Plan aims to redefine India’s travel accessories market with design-forward and functional products such as luggage, duffels, backpacks, slings, pouches, and modular organizers. Positioned as an omnichannel brand, the company plans to sell through offline stores, a soon-to-launch e-commerce platform, and quick commerce channels. The brand is already retailing through select stores in Bengaluru and is expected to launch its online platform within a week. The fresh capital will be used to expand Escape Plan’s retail footprint, introduce new product categories, and scale customer acquisition. The startup is also exploring one-hour delivery integrations via quick commerce and travel discovery platforms in key urban markets. Over the next two years, Escape Plan plans to open 100+ offline stores across Tier I and Tier II cities, targeting India’s booming travel and luggage segment, which is projected to grow from $3.5 billion to over $5 billion by 2028. This marks Pathak’s second entrepreneurial journey after Perpule, which was acquired by Amazon in 2021 for $14.5 million. Post-acquisition, Pathak served as a business and product leader at Amazon for nearly two years. Co-founder Zutshi brings strong retail expertise with leadership roles at Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail, Jack & Jones, and Sahara India. Escape Plan also joins a growing list of ventures launched by Perpule alumni, including robotics startup 10x by Yogesh Ghaturle and fashion-focused quick commerce brand Slikk by Akshay Gulati. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- KEY HIGHLIGHTS * Funding: $5 million (INR 43.14 crore) seed round co-led by Jungle Ventures and Fireside Ventures. * Founders: Abhinav Pathak (ex-Perpule, acquired by Amazon) and Abhinav Zutshi (ex-Landmark Group). * Product Range: Luggage, duffels, backpacks, slings, pouches, and modular organizers. * Market Positioning: Omnichannel – offline retail, e-commerce platform (launching soon), and quick commerce integrations. * Expansion Plan: Launch 100+ offline stores across Tier I & II cities in the next two years. * Market Opportunity: India’s travel and luggage segment projected to grow from $3.5B to $5B by 2028. * Co-founder Track Record: Pathak’s previous venture Perpule was acquired by Amazon for $14.5M in 2021. * Retail Expertise: Zutshi has held leadership roles at Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail, Jack & Jones, Sahara India, among others. * Alumni Network: Joins ventures by Perpule alumni, including 10x (robotics) and Slikk (fashion quick commerce).