Turning a College Class Project into a Profitable Startup: The TripKit Story

From Classroom Challenge to Real-World Opportunity

In 2019, Grace McBride and Sarah Peters sat in Professor Andrew Quagliata’s entrepreneurship class at Cornell, ready to tackle a semester-long research assignment. With some real-life experience as a luxury travel advisor at MilesAhead, Grace zeroed in on the headaches she’d faced daily: mountains of itinerary planning and endless admin work. The class required customer interviews, mapping assumptions, and really listening to people’s pain points—all skills they would lean on later.

After dozens of calls and organizing findings into priority matrices, what stood out? Luxury travel advisors often drown in administrative tasks and itinerary prep, not in actual travel planning. Spotting this gap, Grace and Sarah knew there was room for a specialized assistant service—one built just for these advisors. That’s the spark behind TripKit, which launched in late 2019.

Rough Start: COVID-19 Hits the Travel Industry

Not long after launching, the team ran full speed into disaster: the COVID-19 pandemic. Global travel froze, agents stopped booking, and TripKit’s first clutch of clients dried up overnight. Grace, reeling from the sudden loss and the mental toll, was bedridden for days. Her dad stepped in, offering hours to help at the family store. That reset worked—slowly, her drive to keep going returned.

Instead of hiding, Grace and Sarah used the downtime to offer TripKit’s services for free. They doubled down on helping, betting that generosity in tough times could lead to loyalty down the road. As travel opened back up, many of those free clients became TripKit’s biggest fans—and paying customers.

Early Hustle: Manual Outreach and Laser Focus

The company didn’t blow through marketing budgets. Instead, Grace and Sarah got scrappy. They searched LinkedIn for every luxury travel agent they could find, sent emails, followed up, and started genuine conversations. Rather than obsessing over big-picture dreams, they thought about landing the next single customer—knowing each win mattered.

They also launched an email newsletter. Over time, it grew to just under 1,000 engaged travel advisors. The strategy was basic but effective: consistent, relevant emails and personal replies. No fancy automation, mostly sweat equity and hustle. When word started to spread, it came from one happy client telling three others. Growth snowballed from true advocacy, not flashy ads.

Scaling Up: Building a Revenue Engine

By 2022, TripKit had four full-time remote assistants supporting 100+ travel advisors. The business was stable and making real recurring revenue. The founders learned quickly not to undervalue their services: price bumps, though nerve-wracking, didn’t scare away any clients—quite the opposite, in fact. Raising rates for legacy customers instantly raised MRR by 30%. Turns out, if your product solves a genuine problem and your support is reliable, clients don’t mind paying more for time and sanity saved.

Tough Decisions: When Opportunity Knocks Twice

During the pandemic, Grace and Sarah also built Lucia, a travel planning freelancer marketplace. With two startups fighting for their attention, they realized focus was key—trying to run both meant one would always lag. After some deliberation, they listed TripKit on Acquire.com and enlisted The Magnolia Firm’s help. The response was overwhelming—100+ would-be buyers showed interest. In 2022, they sold TripKit to an operator who shared their vision.

Lessons from the Trenches: Customer Research, Pricing, and Professional Help

One hard lesson: don’t set prices out of fear. Early discounts haunted TripKit when it came time to standardize plans. Surprisingly, not a single client left when rates increased—many had never considered leaving and appreciated the transparency. Another point: never DIY legal or tax filings if you don’t have to. Fixing early mistakes wastes time and causes recurring trouble.

But the #1 takeaway? Assume nothing about what your customers want—talk to them. Pain points you imagine are often wrong, or not deep enough. Nearly every business breakthrough for TripKit came straight from a conversation with a travel advisor. That customer-driven method helped them weather storm after storm.

What Happened Next?

After the TripKit exit, the founders focused on Lucia and other projects, fully aware of the value of grit and good process. Their journey is a reminder: even a sector smashed by a crisis holds room for businesses built on service, real conversations, and the agility to pivot.

• Start with hands-on customer research, not guesswork.
• Generosity during tough times can be a real growth lever.
• Painful decisions—like raising prices—pay off if your service delivers.
• Don’t try to juggle too many businesses at once; focus wins.
• Always use professional help with paperwork and compliance.

Conclusion: Why TripKit’s Story Stands Out

TripKit’s rise and exit during one of the worst periods for travel proves niche services—built with real empathy—can survive even the harshest headwinds. The business started with no money, no complex tech stack, and barely any marketing spend. Yet, it grew from a Cornell class project to a highly-valued acquisition, reminding new founders that the right idea, executed with focus and humility, is enough to change your career.