Triple, a digital marketplace that connects travelers with local
hosts for activities and experiences, has acquired competitor Local Guddy.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Triple, based in Sweden, launched in May 2017 following a
seed investment of $500,000 from investors that included former Spotify
executives Andreas Ehn and Jonathon Forster and former Wrapp CMO Lisa Enckell.
Travelers use Triple to connect with local hosts to discover
unique activities that give them an authentic experience. The company operates
in Stockholm, London, Barcelona and Paris.
According to a news release, “Hosts share their passion or craft and connect through the
platform with travelers to give them a taste of the city they live in through
the eyes of a local."
Local Guddy launched in 2016 using a similar model and now offers more than 800
experiences in more than 200 cities.
Local Guddy founder Emre Semercioğlu will become head of
market growth for Triple.
“After we got to know Emre and the work he’s been doing with
Local Guddy to date, we realized very quickly that there was a synergy between
us and our vision, Local Guddy having a key strength in host acquisition and
community, that complements our expert team, experience and growth strategy,”
says Triple CEO and co-founder Joakim Grönvall.
“This acquisition will allow us to combine forces and scale
quicker to become a key player in the travel experience market."
Says Semercioğlu: “I believe that cities should be shown and
represented by passionate locals that offer a personal and unique experience
through their eyes, the same ethos that the team at Triple have.”
The two companies will consolidate their content on one
platform that will operate under the Triple name and will continue to be
headquartered in Stockholm.
The news comes just as Airbnb announced updates to its Experiences platform, which will expand to 1,000 cities and include new activity categories.