Paris-based Kolet, a sustainable eSIM provider, announced on Thursday that it has closed a €5M in a seed funding round with European investment funds daphni and 9900 Capital.
The French company will use the funds to bring affordable Internet access to travellers worldwide in over 180 countries.
Kolet: Sustainable eSIM provider
Founded at the beginning of 2024 in Paris by four entrepreneurs, Eduardo Ronzano, Anne-Carole Cöen, Jérémy Gotteland, and Mehdi Chraibi, Kolet has set out to build a new telecom operator that is responsible, transparent, and accessible.
The startup aims to address the high costs of accessing the Internet while travelling abroad and the abusive practices of existing telecom players in the industry.
The company does this by designing a dedicated service for the travel industry, available in over 130 countries — a single free eSIM with 1 GB of data.
“Our mission at Kolet is to help travellers stay connected anywhere in the world. We aim to provide the best possible user experience, whether in terms of installation, use, security, or pricing. And this service should be provided by every travel industry player, in particular airlines, to their clients”, explains Anne-Carole Cöen, Kolet’s co-founder and CMO.
The founding team has teamed with a board of experts from the telecom and tourism industries to create its value proposition.
It includes Philippe Chérèque, who previously worked with Amex GBT and Amadeus, Shane O’Flaherty, the Global Director of Travel and Hospitality at Microsoft, and Mauricio Prieto, the co-founder of eDreams.
Kolet’s first partners are
- Resaneo, the travel agency, specialising in transport bookings (flights and trains)
- Ulysse, the air ticket booking site
Kolet can offer access to a high-performance network (4G or 5G) at a very competitive price (starting at 3.99€ for 1GB in Europe, with a 30-day validity period).
“There is a tremendous opportunity here for travel companies to enrich their service offering, build customer loyalty, and increase their revenues. Our ambition is to become the key partner for the top travel companies in a rapidly expanding market. With this 1st round of financing and thanks to the support of our advisors, Kolet is starting its development on the French and international markets.”, explains Eduardo Ronzano, CEO of Kolet.
The investor
9900 Capital is a multi-stage fund managed by former investors at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the London-based investment firm Hedosophia.
9900’s mission is to back extraordinary founders tackling “big problems” across a range of sectors globally.
“Kolet’s vision to disrupt an oligopolistic telco industry resonates strongly with our investment philosophy at 9900 Capital of solving ‘big problems’ and absurdities that impact global consumers. Their dedicated team, innovative eSIM technology, and commitment to ending outrageous roaming charges make Kolet an important investment for us. We believe in their potential to reshape the travel experience and are excited to be part of their journey” says Chris Corbishley, co-founder and Managing Partner of 9900 Capital.
Read the orginal article: https://siliconcanals.com/news/startups/french-esim-provider-kolet-gets-5m/
