Case Study - trippl

Propel Case Study - trippl (case) P02

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At the intersection of technology and travel, entrepreneurs Shelley Montreuil and Maureen Adams identified a glaring gap: travelers are still piecing together fragmented itineraries and tourism associations are missing critical data points. They worked diligently through multiple pivots and business models, spoke with 100s of customers to build their business and realize problem-solution fit.

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The problem

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Despite the many trip-planning tools available, Montreuil and Adams saw a persistent problem: planning a trip was still an arduous task, and most tools rely on the same generic data set that overlook the unique, local businesses that give a destination its charm. The pair realized that this data problem was not only isolated to travelers but also extended to the very tourism associations tasked with promoting their region. With little insight into the actual behavior of their guests, these tourism associations were left making vague assumptions that lacked the personalized and scalable insights needed to deliver optimal economic benefits.

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The pivot

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While the founders began their Propel journey with an entirely different project in a completely different sector, they struggled to find initial traction and knew they needed to adjust their assumptions and reposition their business model. Armed with a fresh perspective, they worked diligently through the Propel Vision and Validation program and identified a new, much larger opportunity. This time though, a focused customer discovery process led them to identify a global market waiting to be disrupted. It was then that trippl was born – a map-based trip-planning tool designed to integrate tourism association data into a hyper-personalized, concierge-style, trip planner.

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Navigating the pivot

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With Propel’s support, trippl made significant changes to its strategy:

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• Pivoting focus: Transitioned from developing a local tourism project to addressing a global trip-planning problem.
• Market approach: Extended their market opportunity from a single, vague consumer entity to a well defined, ideal customer profile.
• Lean methodology: Modeled their opportunity and quickly assessed the validity of initial assumptions and redefined the problem solution.

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The impact

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The results of this strategic pivot were profound. Throughout the Propel program, trippl realized several key milestones:

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• Pipeline expansion: Developed a robust client pipeline
• First paid clients: Secured new, paid clients aligned with their ideal customer profile
• Investor interest: Started attracting the interest angel and venture capital investors
• Recognition: Became a finalist in several pitch competitions and represented PEI on a national stage.
• Development partnership: Nurtured strategic partnerships that led the development of a well-defined MVP

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Propel’s role

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Propel became an essential partner early in trippl’s journey and offered a unique blend of strategic guidance and practical support through a combination of individual and group sessions. The Propel team acted as objective partners that worked closely with the founders to develop and test their business model, run customer discovery sprints, and prepare for their fundraising journey.

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