How TRIBBU Is Turning Commutes Into a Movement
And how people can monetize car pooling
Guest: Paloma Martín, co-founder and CEO of TRIBBU
Cities are choking on traffic. Most cars carry one person. Space is fixed, frustration is not. TRIBBU wants to flip the script by making daily carpooling effortless and rewarding. In this episode, Paloma breaks down how regulation just unlocked cash-back for shared rides, why they pivoted from B2B to B2C, and what it really takes to build a movement, not just an app.
Why TRIBBU now
Carpooling just got real
In Spain, shared rides can generate certified energy savings. TRIBBU’s app measures and certifies those savings, which translates into cash-back for users. When policy meets product, behavior changes.
From enterprise to everyone
They started as a B2B tool for companies like Mercedes-Benz, Vueling, and Mercadona to match co-workers. It solved density early. With regulation in place, they finally jumped to B2C, where the “party is starting” as Paloma puts it.
Marketplace on hard mode
Matching riders is not just supply and demand. It is supply, demand, proximity, schedule, and destination. TRIBBU engineered for all of it.
Paloma’s path
Left a stable corporate role at Philips Lighting to chase a vision.
Did not grow up “selling candy in school.” Entrepreneurship clicked after a single class on business models.
Leads with energy and belief. ADHD and a non-routine style are features, not bugs, in how she creates.
“My routine is to embrace a lifestyle without routine. Different things work for different people. Find yours.”
The recent pivot
B2B was the bridge to create density and learn.
B2C is the mission now that incentives exist. Users get money back for rides they already take together. That is how category shifts happen.
Product and tech
Building the app was “hard, expensive, slow, and worth it.”
Early architecture choices matter. Beautiful UI on the wrong foundation will stall when it is time to scale.
Get close to the end user. B2B success can distance you from consumer pain until you choose to close that gap.
Culture and values
Enjoy the ride
Only big
Together is better
TRIBBU is built like its product. Community first. The founders operate like siblings. The vision is unapologetically large.
The hard parts
Investor pressure
Paloma shares a candid story about being threatened with a blocked signature during a sensitive moment. Her takeaway is a line in the sand: never accept threats. Close the company if you must. Build again with integrity.
Execution vs elevation
Her superpower is elevating people and mindsets. Her weak spot is heads-down execution. Naming both with honesty is how you hire, delegate, and keep momentum.
Messages from Paloma
To customers: admiration. Early carpoolers made the effort before rewards existed. They are “exemplary citizens.”
To investors: trust. The path will not match any single recipe. Purpose and patience matter.
Success, on her terms
Happiness today, not only at the finish line. Sustainable joy, even through the dips. If the joy stops being sustainable, change something.
My takeaways
Regulation can be a growth engine. When policy aligns with product, adoption can jump without pushing prices on the end user.
B2B can seed B2C. Use enterprise to create density, then serve the whole city.
There is no single founder template. Peak output comes from self-knowledge, not borrowed routines.
Listen to the episode
Hear the full story, including the investor standoff, the B2C launch metrics, and how TRIBBU certifies energy savings inside the app.
🎧 The Founders Chat with Paloma Martín
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