Entrepreneur Ryan Diew seemed to have a shark or two on the hook with his airport-restaurant-finding Trippie app. Then things started to unravel.
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. What happened to the Trippie App on Shark Tank?
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.
