Triply

What do they actually do

Triply provides an all‑in‑one back‑office and payments platform for small and midsize travel businesses in Africa. Agents and operators can create branded quotes/itineraries, book flights, hotels and activities, and issue tickets instantly through Triply’s integrated booking engine (no IATA license required) (triply.co).

The platform lets businesses accept customer payments via card, bank transfer or mobile money (e.g., M‑Pesa) through payment links, then hold funds in a wallet for reconciliation and payouts. It includes supplier payments via instant payouts or virtual cards, plus basic accounting, payroll, inbox and analytics tools, and a marketplace where businesses can list and sell services (triply.co). Today the wallet supports holding Kenyan shillings, and the company has publicly said it plans to expand to more currencies and simplify cross‑border settlement, including via partnerships for multi‑currency flows (Skift; TechPression/Verto).

Triply’s site highlights that the product is already in use, with thousands of business users and tens of thousands of bookings processed, and it serves multiple countries from a base in Kenya. The company is a YC W24 startup and has been covered in local press after joining YC (triply.co; Y Combinator; Business Daily).

Who are their target customer(s)

• Independent travel agents and small storefront agencies: They need simple tools to send branded quotes, accept online and mobile‑money payments, and reconcile transactions without juggling multiple spreadsheets and payment links; slow bank transfers and manual reconciliation lengthen the cash cycle and force agents to chase payments or front supplier costs (triply.co; Skift).
• Small and midsize tour operators: They must collect deposits/final payments and then pay hotels, guides and transport quickly across different rails; relying on slow bank transfers or cash complicates accounting and makes tracking supplier payments error‑prone (triply.co).
• Hosts and small accommodation owners: They want straightforward listing, booking and payment collection so they don’t lose bookings to manual processes or cash‑only flows, plus clear fees and easier reconciliation so bookings convert to usable cash (triply.co; service fee policy).
• Regional/multi‑country travel SMEs (operating across East Africa): They face FX friction and costly, slow cross‑border settlement, making it hard to take payments in one country and pay suppliers in another, causing delays and currency losses (Skift; TechPression/Verto).
• Founders/finance leads at travel SMBs needing working capital and cash management: They want faster supplier payouts, easier virtual‑card payments and financing tied to transaction history, but today have limited visibility into receivables and few lending options linked to their bookings (Y Combinator; triply.co).

How would they acquire their first 10, 50, and 100 customers

• First 10: Founder‑led outreach to Nairobi agents and small storefronts, with hands‑on demos and migration of their spreadsheets, setting up M‑Pesa/card payment links and issuing first supplier virtual cards to prove faster cash cycles; collect testimonials/case studies (triply.co).
• First 50: Run joint webinars and bundle offers with local hotels/activities and host platforms; convert travel‑association members via group onboarding and short‑term fee discounts to drive referrals (triply.co; service fee policy).
• First 100: Expand regionally with partners on payments/FX and mobile‑money rails to market multi‑currency wallets and instant payouts; push marketplace listings for quick demand and pilot transaction‑data‑based merchant financing to lift conversion/retention (Skift; TechPression/Verto; Y Combinator).

What is the rough total addressable market

Top-down context:

Triply targets the software and payments layer for Africa’s SME travel sector—tools for quoting/booking, accepting digital payments (including mobile money), and settling suppliers—rather than the broader consumer travel market.

Bottom-up calculation:

Illustrative: if 40k–60k SME travel businesses are in reach across Africa, and each processes ~$100k–$200k annually through the platform with a blended take rate of ~0.8% plus $20–$50/month in software fees, that implies ~$75m–$135m in annual revenue opportunity.

Assumptions:

• Reachable SME travel businesses across Africa: 40k–60k.
• Average annual processed volume per customer: $100k–$200k; blended take rate ~0.8%.
• Subscription/feature fees: $20–$50 per business per month.

Who are some of their notable competitors

• Wetu: Itinerary builder and content management used by tour operators globally (including in Africa). Strong for proposals and content, but not a full payments/payouts or embedded‑finance platform.
• Tourplan: Enterprise software for tour operators covering operations and accounting. Powerful but heavier‑weight and less focused on modern online payments or mobile‑money collection for small teams.
• Tripesa: African tourism SMB toolkit for websites, booking and payments. Overlaps on bookings and collection, but lighter on supplier payouts and multi‑currency treasury.
• Rezdy: Global tours/activities booking software with integrated payments. Strong for activity operators; less focused on end‑to‑end agent workflows and supplier settlement in African payment rails.
• Paystack: Popular African payment gateway. Agents can accept online payments using Paystack, but it lacks built‑in travel booking, ticketing and supplier payout workflows that Triply bundles.