What Happened To The Trippie App From Shark Tank Season 9?

With a clever narrative hook that gives would-be entrepreneurs a potentially make-or-break chance to secure financial backing for a burgeoning business venture, watching ABC's hit reality show "Shark Tank" can sometimes pack a surprising emotional wallop. That's particularly true in the triumphant moments when a pitcher manages to convince one of the panelists to pony up and invest in their product.

On the other end of the emotional "Shark Tank" spectrum, it can be absolutely brutal to watch a bright-eyed pitcher's reaction when the panelists dismiss their product with the customary "I'm out." While some pitchers like kooky Season 3 entrepreneur Mark Sullivan remain overwhelmingly positive in the face of such dream-crushing rejection, others are unable to mask the soul-crushing despair they feel leaving the "Shark Tank" studio without an investment deal. 

That was just the case during a Season 9 episode in which entrepreneur Ryan Diew initially appeared to have a shark or two on the investment hook as he laid out his plans for Trippie, an iPhone app designed to help travelers navigate some of the world's largest airports. But as Diew would learn, keeping the shrewd panel of potential investors not just on the hook, but ready and willing to back your product with their own hard-earned money requires more than just an intriguing idea and a can-do spirit. Here's what happened to Diew and his Trippie travel app during and after his fateful "Shark Tank" appearance.    

Plenty of "Shark Tank" entrepreneurs have pitched a potentially game-changing travel app over the years. Like the rest, Ryan Diew entered the studio primed to prove Trippie was the real deal. He even had a prop or two ready so he could demonstrate the need for his app. But like every other "Shark Tank" pitcher, the former college basketball player faced an uphill battle.

One of Diew's props led to the first hiccup in his pitch, with a piece of burrito lodging in his throat and preventing him from answering the panel's questions. If you're wondering why he was eating a burrito, his Trippie app was then primarily focused on helping travelers locate the best places to eat in airports, with Diew seeking $100,000 in funding in exchange for 10% equity in his company. With an interesting concept and a relatively modest ask, Diew initially got some goodwill from the sharks, even earning a thumbs up from soon-to-be ex-shark Mark Cuban.

However, the tide changed mid-pitch when it became clear that Trippie was still in the early stages of development — so early that many of the sharks deemed it too soon to be throwing money at Diew. Unwilling to take "no" for an answer, Diew persisted in trying to sway the opinions of at least one panelist, which brought some tough-but-constructive feedback from the sharks. In the end, Diew left the studio with no deal and his head heartbreakingly down.

Despite his not closing a deal for Trippie on "Shark Tank," one had to admire Ryan Diew, then a recent college grad who'd developed the travel app while balancing his collegiate athletic and scholastic endeavors. Given the work he'd already put in, he was understandably devastated when his pitch didn't secure what could've been game-changing funding. Heck, even Barbara Corcoran looks a bit heartbroken by his reaction as he exits the studio.

Even still, you could see where the sharks were coming from in their read on Trippie, which then had only four airports logged and a subscription base of just under 170 monthly users. It was, however, already available in Apple's App Store, and the potential for growth was evident even if the sharks felt it was too early to invest. Diew seems to have taken the sharks' tough love to heart and has worked hard to transform Trippie since his "Shark Tank" appearance, with the app continuing to operate. 

Of course, the appearance itself no doubt helped raise the market profile of Trippie, which grew its subscription base and the number of airports it covered amid its post-show "Shark Tank" bump. While there was an understandable downtick in usage amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the app has reportedly grown to include 22 airports worldwide, with U.S. airports accounting for roughly 82% of all airport traffic. And it now contains detailed interactive airport maps that show bars and coffee shops, too.

With Trippie showing significant growth in the wake of Ryan Diew's primetime appearance on "Shark Tank," there is still plenty of room for expansion. During an interview with Business 2 Community, Diew said that is his goal for Trippie: "just to keep evolving and expanding." He added that he believes indoor navigation will be a pivotal tool for travelers in the future, and that he and the Trippie team continue to develop new functions and features for the app. 

One of Trippie's biggest areas for growth potential is in Android mobile devices. Currently, the app is only available for Apple devices and can only be downloaded through The App Store. It's unclear why Diew and the Trippe team have yet to target the Android arena, but if the company is looking to take things to the next level, building an Android-capable version would dramatically bolster its potential user base.

As for Diew, per his Linkedin page, the entrepreneur is still calling the shots at Trippe, claiming the titles of the company's founder, CEO, and iOS engineer. He's also a principal and entrepreneur in residence at Base Ventures, a Berkeley, California-based venture capital firm dedicated to finding and funding, as stated on Linkedin, "the next big thinker and not the next big thing." And yes, that mission statement fittingly mimics some of the sentiments that Diew utilized in his own "Shark Tank" pitch.