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Trippie is an app designed to help travelers manage the often confusing environment of airports. It aims to make your time at the airport less stressful by providing real-time updates on flights and offering interactive maps of terminals and gates.
This app is especially useful for those with connecting flights or who are unfamiliar with an airport. Trippie allows you to set up a personalized itinerary, including details like boarding times and gate numbers.
Trippie also gives you current security wait times and alerts you to any delays or cancellations. Additionally, the app provides exclusive deals on food and beverages at various airport restaurants and shops.
Trippie is essential for anyone who wants a smoother and more efficient airport experience.
What Is Trippie App?
Trippie is a tool that helps travelers find their way around large airports. It includes features such as interactive maps, photos, reviews, and menus for airport restaurants.
Trippie simplifies air travel by providing real-time updates on flight schedules, gate changes, delays, and cancellations. This ensures users are always informed and prepared.
The app offers detailed maps of major airports, showing terminal layouts, dining and shopping options, and restroom locations. This makes it easier for travelers to navigate often overwhelming airport environments.
With its user-friendly interface, Trippie is the perfect companion for anyone looking to make their airport experience more straightforward and enjoyable.
If you’ve ever experienced a layover, you’re familiar with the frustration it can cause. During layovers, you can explore the airport and grab a bite before your next flight. However, if time is short, it can be challenging to check your bags, eat, and relax before your departure.
This is where Trippie comes into play. The app simplifies airport navigation by offering flight tracking and interactive maps so you can see where everything is located.
Trippie also displays restaurant menus, ratings, hours of operation and calculates the time needed to get food from a restaurant.
Ryan Diew, a computer science student who played NCAA Division 1 basketball at Colgate University, founded Trippie.
Ryan Diew created the Trippie app out of his frustrations as a frequent traveler for college and basketball.
He envisioned an app that would help travelers interact and find information at airports. Ryan developed the app with help from his brother even before graduating.
The idea for Trippie came to Ryan during a long layover at an airport. Needing food but reluctant to drag his luggage or miss his flight, he left his bags with a stranger while he searched for lunch.
Ryan began learning Swift coding with another student, Samantha Braver. They pitched Trippie at the 2016 Entrepreneur Weekend and received over $22,000 in investment. He also received $15,000 from the 2017 Entrepreneurs Fund and space to work on his idea full-time.
After being featured in Inc.com’s Coolest Colleges Startup competition, Ryan was invited to appear on Shark Tank in October 2017.
Although he did not secure an investment, one of the sharks, Mark Cuban, challenged him to prove them wrong about the app’s potential.
Ryan chose to go on Shark Tank because he needed capital to expand his business.
Trippie Shark Tank Pitch
Ryan stepped into the Shark Tank after a heartfelt hug from his mother, ready to present Trippie, an app he believed would become essential for navigating large airports and connecting with other travelers.
He sought $100,000 in exchange for a 10% stake in his company. Ryan shared his background as a college student and athlete from Oakland, often finding himself in airports.
He emphasized the challenges frequent flyers face, including himself and business travelers, who spend long hours in terminals.
To illustrate his point, Ryan picked up his bags and demonstrated his typical airport experience to the Sharks. He mentioned the difficulty of finding directories and often wandering in search of amenities.
Holding up a soggy tuna sandwich, he explained that he usually ended up at the nearest newsstand for food.
With Trippie, he promised travelers would never have to settle for subpar options, tossing the sandwich into a trash can and pulling out a hidden taco to emphasize his point.
Ryan showcased Trippie’s functionality on a large screen, highlighting features like a list of airports, restaurant locations, distances, and hours of operation. A blue dot on the map indicated the user’s location and provided directions.
He argued that Trippie would significantly reduce the stress associated with airport travel and asked the Sharks for help in making it available to millions of frequent travelers.
When Robert asked about the number of airports included, Ryan mentioned he currently covered four major airports and was expanding to five more.
Barbara raised concerns about the constant changes in airport eateries, including locations, prices, and menus.
Ryan explained that all data was manually entered, including detailed descriptions of menu items.
Ryan revealed that he had recently turned down job offers from major companies like Google and Facebook to focus on Trippie full-time. Mark asked if he still lived with his parents, and Ryan confirmed he did.
Ryan was responsible for all coding and iOS development for Trippie. Since its release, the app had 850 downloads and around 160 monthly active users.
He acknowledged that other apps offered similar features but emphasized that Trippie aimed to connect travelers, similar to how Waze connects drivers.
Lori liked the idea but noted it was missing from Ryan’s presentation. Ryan used the Google Maps API to track travelers’ movements within airports.
Trippie aimed to build a community where travelers could share information about their experiences, such as TSA line wait times.
Barbara asked how Ryan planned to use the investment. He said his main goal was to allow users to load their itineraries into the app.
He mentioned that monthly users had increased by 40% since graduation, but Mark pointed out that the growth was still small in absolute numbers.
Robert wondered why Ryan hadn’t connected with airport backends. Ryan admitted he hadn’t reached out to airports directly.
Lori believed Ryan’s vision to become the Waze of airport terminals was solid but suggested focusing on security line wait times.
Ryan expressed frustration over his lack of financial support, which led to a stern response from Robert, who shared his humble beginnings.
Robert emphasized the need for Ryan to be more resourceful and create value for Trippie. He and Rohan exited, followed by Barbara, who felt Trippie wasn’t ready for investment.
Mark saw potential in Trippie but viewed it more as a feature than a full-fledged business. He encouraged Ryan to remain realistic about the challenges ahead. Mark wished Ryan well but also opted out.
Ryan was visibly upset, stating that he had poured his heart and soul into Trippie. Mark advised him to avoid self-pity and to work hard to prove his worth and the value of his business.
Trippie After Shark Tank
Trippie was initially available in just four airports when it first appeared on Shark Tank. By June 2020, it expanded to 22 airports globally.
Trippie proudly promotes itself on Twitter as the number one airport app in the United States.
The company’s Facebook page has not been updated since December 2017, yet Ryan, the founder, has not given up. The app has seen numerous updates since its Shark Tank debut.
Trippie’s network now includes major international airports in Frankfurt, Sydney, and Tokyo. Despite not securing a deal on Shark Tank, Ryan has remained committed to improving the app.
Trippie has introduced features that allow users to search for airport restaurants by category and location, and it now includes a restaurant rating system. These updates have enhanced the app’s functionality and user experience.
Ryan even won $10,000 at the “Tech Done Right” pitch competition and was recognized as one of the most influential African Americans in technology.
Although the website and Facebook page are inactive, Ryan continues to maintain the business’s Twitter account.
Occasionally, he posts motivational messages to himself. On May 24, 2018, Trippie hinted at exciting new developments.
After its Shark Tank appearance, Trippie gained significant popularity and expanded to 120 airports worldwide by the end of 2019. This growth included major international hubs in Europe, Asia, and South America.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 posed significant challenges, leading to a temporary shutdown of the app while Ryan worked on new features.
As travel resumed, Trippie reopened and generated an annual revenue of approximately $3 million.
The app has a limited social media presence, with an Instagram page that hasn’t been updated in over a year and a Twitter account with the last post in June 2020. The app is only available on the App Store, with plans to develop an Android version.
Trippie has a 4.1-star rating on the App Store with over 900 ratings, indicating user satisfaction. However, the app has not been updated since mid-2021 and is becoming outdated. Ryan and his team would benefit from releasing new updates soon.
Despite these challenges, Ryan has achieved notable success with Trippie, proving skeptics wrong. The pandemic slowed the company’s operations, but it is making efforts to serve its users better.
Trippie has grown from four airports at its Shark Tank appearance to 22 airports worldwide, with the majority in the United States. The app has added several new features, including the ability to rate eateries.
Trippie is currently available exclusively on Apple iPhones, with plans to release an Android version in the future. However, the app’s website redirects to a random casino site, and the last social media post was made in June 2020.
When Trippie appeared on Shark Tank, its valuation was $1 million. Currently, Trippie’s net worth is estimated to be $0 due to the lack of recent public information about the company.
