The archive · Consumer Apps · Product decision · 2024–2026
INSTANTrip bets AI replaces trip planning; App Store travel #1 in 3 weeks
A Konkuk student's AI travel curator hit App Store travel #1 in 3 weeks; by 2026 Grunui is pitching B2B travel-data analytics
Grunui (그루누이) · INSTANTrip (인스턴트립)
What the business is
INSTANTrip is an AI travel curation app: users enter a budget and dates, and AI recommends and books flights, hotels, eSIM and activities, positioned with the slogan 'travel without worries'.
Starting capital：No venture round disclosed; selected for Konkuk University's 2025 'pre-startup package' (예비창업패키지), providing commercialization funds and mentoring.
How it started
Ahn Young-bin, an electrical engineering student at Konkuk University (class of 2019), founded Grunui through the KU Startup Club. In January 2025 he visited CES through Konkuk's global startup frontier program; the team built INSTANTrip around the pain of juggling flights, hotels, eSIM and activities across multiple booking sites.
What happened
INSTANTrip officially launched on 2025-04-21. Within three weeks it reached #1 in the Apple App Store travel category and #32 in the overall popularity chart, prompting coverage across Korean media; the company announced partnerships with Trip.com, HotelsCombined and Agoda, and was selected for Konkuk's 2025 pre-startup package with commercialization funds and mentoring for global expansion.
How it ended up
Still live and expanding: by January 2026 Grunui was pitching a new AI-based travel-data analytics solution (CatchProg) on Venturesquare, signaling a B2B pivot beyond the consumer app; no funding round or revenue figures have been disclosed.
Background
INSTANTrip is an AI travel curation app by Grunui, founded by Ahn Young-bin, an electrical engineering student at Konkuk University who started the company through the university's KU Startup Club. The bet: travel planning is fragmented across flights, hotels, eSIM and activity sites, and one AI prompt can replace that grind.
The app launched on 2025-04-21 with a 'travel without worries' slogan; users enter a budget and dates and AI recommends and books the components. Within three weeks it reached #1 on the Apple App Store travel category and #32 on the overall popularity chart, announced by Konkuk University on 2025-06-05.
The media attention brought OTA partnerships (Trip.com, HotelsCombined, Agoda) and selection for Konkuk's 2025 pre-startup package, which provided commercialization funds and mentoring; the company said it was preparing global expansion.
By January 2026, Grunui was pitching an AI-based travel-data analytics solution (CatchProg) on Venturesquare, suggesting a pivot toward B2B. No funding or revenue figures have been disclosed; the story shows a university ecosystem can produce chart hits, but the durable business model remains unproven.
What has to be true
- The wedge was simplicity: budget and dates in, a full itinerary with bookings out — a clear contrast to juggling multiple OTA sites.
- App Store chart mechanics rewarded the launch: a new, free, AI-flagged travel app surged to category #1 within three weeks, generating press.
- University programs supplied what a student founder lacked: CES exposure, commercialization funds and mentoring.
- The pivot to travel-data analytics (CatchProg) suggests consumer travel apps monetize poorly — a hedge into B2B data.
What can be applied
A chart win can validate a consumer bet, but without disclosed revenue the moat is unproven — Grunui's 2026 shift toward travel-data analytics shows how a student startup hedges a crowded category.
Aftermath
As of January 2026 INSTANTrip is still live on the App Store and Google Play, and Grunui is active: on 2026-01-13 it presented 'CatchProg', an AI-based travel data analysis solution, on Venturesquare's morning program, signaling a B2B move. The June 2025 chart spike (#1 travel, #32 overall) came three weeks after the 2025-04-21 launch; partnerships with Trip.com, HotelsCombined and Agoda were announced, but no revenue or funding figures have been disclosed. The bet on AI trip planning is validated as a product, but its durability as a business remains unproven.
Sources
- 건국대 학생 창업 앱 '인스턴트립' 앱스토어 여행 분야서 1위 등극
- 학생 창업 어플 '인스턴트립', 앱스토어 여행 분야서 '1위'
- 건국대, '창업 교육 우수대학' 교육부장관상 표창
- [스타트업 모닝커피 1233회] ㈜그루누이, '인공지능 기반 여행 데이터 분석 솔루션 캐치프로그'
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