One year after an initial €5 million Seed round, French eSIM startup Kolet announced a €8.6 million Series A to continue their mission to offer all travellers seamless, affordable, and universal mobile connectivity in over 190 countries.
The funding was led by Daphni, with the participation of Peter Kern, former CEO of Expedia Group, and Jon Gieselman, former VP of Marketing at Apple. The round also includes €1 million in non-dilutive funding from Bpifrance.
“This funding will allow us to scale up: expand our partner network, strengthen our product, and build a world-class team,” explains Eduardo Ronzano, CEO and Co-founder.
Founded in early 2024, Kolet offers a fully digital eSIM, which can be activated in just a few clicks – with no physical card and reportedly no hidden fees.
Kolet’s board now includes the three active Co-founders – Eduardo Ronzano, Anne-Carole Cöen, and Mehdi Chraibi – alongside Peter Kern, Jon Gieselman, Philippe Chérèque (former Amadeus / American Express GBT), and representatives from Daphni and 9900 Capital.
What Kolet says sets them apart is their B2B2C model, with traction among travel industry players such as Air France, KLM, Kiwi.com, Exoticca, and Wego, who integrate Kolet into their customer journeys to enhance the traveler experience.
Kolet believes that traditional telecom operators have largely overlooked the needs of travellers. Kolet looks to fill this gap by offering instant, universal connectivity – empowering travellers to stay connected the moment they land, and enabling travel brands to engage with their customers throughout the entire journey.
This funding will support three key initiatives:
- The mobile app: Enrich the user’s experience with new features designed for travellers and cover all telecom needs that traditional operators often overlook.
- eSIM adoption: Launch freemium offers and invest heavily in simplifying the installation experience for first-time users.
- Team expansion: Hire around 10 new tech, product, and business talents over the next 12 months, in France and internationally.
Mario Gavira, VP of Global Growth & Brand at Kiwi.com, says: “Kolet has impressed us with their dedication to helping Kiwi.com’s customers stay connected seamlessly while traveling. Their conversion rates are excellent, and we’re excited about the new growth opportunities this solution unlocks.”
In one year, Kolet has attracted over 300,000 travellers and is on track to reach 1 million users by the end of the year.
“This Series A validates our vision: to build a tech service that truly simplifies travelers’ lives. At Kolet, technology is not an end in itself – it’s a lever for creating a seamless, reassuring, and deeply human experience,” Anne-Carole Cöen, Co-founder & CMO
With this new milestone, Kolet aims to cement its role as a pioneer in the global mobile connectivity space, while continuing to deliver on its original promise: making Internet access available to all.
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/06/paris-based-kolet-raises-e8-6-million-to-innovate-global-mobile-connectivity-across-190-countries/
