Thinplex

Thinplex is a verified, escrow-protected rental and shortlet marketplace for Nigeria, where Gemini runs the operations that would normally need a whole trust-and-safety team.

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Inspiration

Thinplex started from a problem I already knew well before I could build anything. In Nigeria, renting a home or booking a shortlet is still messy and untrusted. People pay inspection fees just to see places that do not match what was advertised. Guests worry if listings are real. Landlords deal with strangers, screenshots, voice notes, WhatsApp chats and scattered applications. Nothing sits in one trusted place. So when something goes wrong, everyone starts digging through chats. I wanted to fix that and make property transactions safer, more structured and easier to trust.

What it does

Thinplex is a proptech launched in mobile app, web funnel, for rentals andshortlets in Nigeria. It brings tenants, guests, landlords, agencies and contractors into one verified system. • Owners and users are verified before they can transact • Properties are reviewed before going live • Payments go through Thinplex • Applications, bookings, leases and maintenance are tracked in one place We launched private beta on August 8, 2026. Our first real booking is already live: ₦89,250 processed through Thinplex, held in escrow and split automatically between the host and agency. Thinplex takes 5%.

How we built it

I started Thinplex on May 24, 2026. I am not a traditional engineer. At the start, I was figuring things out as I went. I could not afford the team a platform like this would normally need, so I built with AI every day. In about 11 weeks, Thinplex went from an empty folder to a working system with: • mobile app in testing • live payments and escrow • verification and approval flows • maintenance system • shortlet booking • dashboards for all user types How Gemini helps Thinplex Gemini is part of how Thinplex runs, not just how it was built. Thinplex AI, powered by Gemini, reviews every property before human final approval. It also helps read uploaded documents, summarise applications, classify maintenance requests, flag risky chats and support natural-language search. The role is clear: Gemini reviews, reads, triages and flags. Humans still make final decisions, especially where money, housing and access are involved. We also keep financial logic in our own code, so nothing critical depends only on the model.

Challenges we ran into

The hardest part was not building screens. It was turning a messy real-world process into something structured enough for people to trust. Verification, payments, listings, maintenance and support all had to work together. If one part fails, users go back to WhatsApp, screenshots and phone calls. I also learned that AI works best when it reduces workload without removing responsibility. Gemini helps Thinplex move faster and operate lean, but people still make the final calls.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I am proud that Thinplex moved from an empty repository to a live private beta in about 90 days.

We now have a deployed backend, mobile app in testing, website, verified listings, live payments, escrow, automatic settlement, maintenance workflows, shortlet bookings, and dashboards for different user types.

The biggest accomplishment is that the full loop worked with real money: a real guest booked, paid through Thinplex, the money was held, the host and agency were paid automatically, and Thinplex kept its 5% fee.

That proved this is not just an idea anymore.

What we learned

We learned that in Nigeria’s property market, trust is not one feature. It is the whole product.

People do not only need listings. They need verified people, reviewed properties, protected payments, clear records, and support when something goes wrong.

I also learned that AI can help a small team move like a bigger company, but only when it is used carefully. Gemini is useful because it reviews, reads, summarises, triages and flags. But humans still need to make the final decisions where housing and money are involved.

What's next for Thinplex

Next, we are focused on growing the private beta carefully.

We want to onboard more verified properties, agencies, owners, tenants, guests and contractors, while keeping disputes low and improving the product from real usage.

After that, the goal is to grow Thinplex into the trust-and-payments layer for Nigerian property: rentals, shortlets, maintenance, and eventually rental credit score infrastructure.

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