In Nigeria’s booming shortlet market, where travelers often discover that “what I ordered” rarely matches “what I got,” trust has become a scarce currency.
Guests battle fake listings, inflated photos, and rental scams, while hosts struggle to build credibility in a chaotic ecosystem riddled with opacity.
Beyond these frustrations, the absence of reliable property data, ranging from power uptime to security conditions, has turned what should be a seamless experience into a gamble.
In this edition of Techparley’s Drive100, where we spotlight Africa’s most promising and visionary startups, we turn our attention to MyCribb, the flagship product of RentVenture Limited, founded by Shittu Samson.
Built at the intersection of data intelligence and real estate innovation, MyCribb is not just another shortlet booking platform, it’s Nigeria’s first data-first PropTech company, designed to rebuild trust through transparency, analytics, and verification.
Solving Trust and Transparency in Shortlet Rentals
The Nigerian shortlet market is ripe with potential yet plagued by misrepresentation. MyCribb steps in to change that narrative through an intelligent, evidence-based system.
According to founder Samson Shittu, “A lot of shortlets are misrepresented, what I ordered versus what I got. There are also scam artists posing as hosts, and this erodes confidence.”
To fix this, MyCribb collects granular property data beyond just pictures and pricing.
The platform gathers real-time insights like power uptime, internet speed, water quality, mobile coverage, street condition, waste management, and neighborhood security, the kind of metrics no existing shortlet service in Nigeria offers.
Each listing undergoes in-person verification, including drone imagery of the surrounding environment and Know Your Customer (KYC) checks for hosts to prevent fraud.
“MyCribb isn’t just a booking engine,” Shittu adds. “It’s a data engine designed to make every shortlet decision smarter, safer, and personalized.”
How Data and AI Power MyCribb’s Competitive Edge
What truly sets MyCribb apart is its AI-powered intelligence system, which translates raw property data into actionable insights.
The platform generates Smart Scores for each listing, such as Work-from-Home score, Neighborhood safety rating, and Convenience index.
These metrics don’t just help guests make informed decisions; they also give hosts valuable analytics to price and market their properties competitively.
Predictive models help forecast occupancy trends and rental value fluctuations, giving MyCribb the sophistication of a “Bloomberg Terminal for Real Estate,” as Shittu describes it.
While global competitors like Airbnb and Booking.com focus on listings and user reviews, MyCribb’s approach begins with data integrity.
“We’re building trust through data, not just reviews,” says Shittu. “That’s what makes MyCribb truly different.”
From Vision to Launch: A Journey of Grit and Adaptability
MyCribb’s evolution was far from linear. “Your first idea is not always your best,” Shittu admits.
Early prototypes were scrapped when the founders realized they lacked a defensible unique value proposition (UVP). The company pivoted multiple times, eventually crystallizing its identity around data-centric shortlet intelligence.
However, financial strain soon followed. “At one point, I lost my job that paid N1.3 million monthly, and things became really tough,” Shittu recalls. “We couldn’t pay our frontend developer, who eventually left. But we didn’t stop.”
Today, MyCribb’s founders have rebuilt momentum. The platform is 92% complete, with new technical leadership and an upcoming launch that aims to challenge dominant players in the local shortlet market.
Their story reflects the resilience and determination shaping Nigeria’s next generation of builders.
Inside MyCribb: Meet the Team
Behind MyCribb’s innovation is a multidisciplinary team blending data science, design, and marketing expertise.
Shittu Samson (CEO): A machine learning professional turned entrepreneur, Samson leads strategy, partnerships, and product vision. His goal is clear, to make MyCribb the definitive data platform for African shortlets.
Daranijo Timothy (CTO): With six years as a data engineer, Timothy ensures that MyCribb’s technical backbone is secure, scalable, and optimized for analytics.
Al-Ahad Abubakar (VP of Design): Focused on UI/UX, he ensures that even complex data is presented in a visually intuitive and user-friendly interface.
Ogunyomi Ayomide (Brand Designer): Shapes the visual identity and consistency of MyCribb’s communications across digital and offline touchpoints.
Nkechi Kanayo (Digital Marketer): Drives brand awareness through targeted campaigns, social media strategy, and diaspora-focused marketing.
Each member brings not just expertise but a shared belief that data, not luck, should determine trust in African real estate.
Challenges and the Road Ahead
For MyCribb, the road hasn’t been smooth. Beyond financial struggles, the team has had to contend with low investor confidence, poor infrastructure, and limited electricity and internet penetration, issues that still define much of Africa’s startup landscape.
Yet, Shittu remains optimistic, as he puts, “We’re close to launch, and we believe our proximity to the local market gives us an edge over global players.”
In the next 6–12 months, MyCribb aims to be “the talk of the town” when it comes to booking shortlets.
Over the next 2–5 years, it plans to expand across Nigeria and into neighboring African countries, positioning itself as a data-driven competitor to Airbnb and Booking.com, but one tailored for African realities.
Talking Points
MyCribb stands out as a bold and much-needed disruption in Nigeria’s chaotic shortlet market, bringing a data-driven approach to a sector long dominated by guesswork, deceit, and misrepresentation.
Its focus on data integrity, physical verification, and AI-powered analytics speaks of a maturity rarely seen in Africa’s PropTech ecosystem, one that seeks not just to list properties, but to restore trust through transparency and intelligence.
By collecting granular insights such as power uptime, neighborhood security, water quality, and connectivity, MyCribb addresses the very pain points that have eroded confidence in short-term rentals for years.
However, while its vision to become a “Bloomberg Terminal for Real Estate” is inspiring, the true test lies in execution and user adoption, turning complex data architecture into a smooth, scalable, and reliable experience that resonates with everyday Nigerians and global travelers alike.
If MyCribb succeeds in bridging innovation with accessibility, it could redefine how Africans experience real estate, not as a gamble, but as a science grounded in truth, reliability, and trust.
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