Paris-based sustainable eSIM provider Kolet announced on Thursday that it has closed €5 million in a seed funding round with European investment funds daphni and 9900 Capital.
The French company will use the funds to provide affordable internet access to travelers in more than 180 countries around the world.
Kolet: A sustainable eSIM provider
Founded in Paris in early 2024 by four entrepreneurs – Eduardo Ronzano, Anne-Carole Cöen, Jérémy Gotteland and Mehdi Chraibi – Kolet set out to build a new telecommunications operator that is accountable, transparent and accessible.
The startup aims to address the high cost of internet access while traveling abroad and the abusive practices of the industry’s incumbent carriers.
The company does this by designing a dedicated service for the travel industry – a single free eSIM with 1GB of data – available in over 130 countries.
“Kolet’s mission is to help travelers stay connected wherever they are in the world. We aim to provide the best user experience in terms of installation, usage, security or price. And this is a service that all travel industry players, especially airlines, must provide to their customers,” explains Anne-Carole Cöen, co-founder and CMO of Kolet.
The founding team teamed up with a committee of experts from the telecommunications and tourism industries to create a value proposition.
These include Philippe Chérèque, who previously worked at Amex GBT and Amadeus, Shane O’Flaherty, global director of travel and hospitality at Microsoft, and Mauricio Prieto, co-founder of eDreams.
Kolet’s first partners were:
- Resaneo is a travel agency specializing in transport bookings (flights and trains).
- Airline ticket reservation site Ulysse
Kolet can provide access to high-performance networks (4G or 5G) at very competitive prices (starting from 3.99€ per 1GB in Europe, valid for 30 days).
“There is a huge opportunity here for travel agencies to strengthen their service offerings, build customer loyalty and increase revenue. Our goal is to be a key partner to the best travel companies in fast-growing markets. Thanks to this first round of financing and the support of our advisors, Kolet is starting to develop in the French and international markets,” explains Eduardo Ronzano, CEO of Kolet.
9900 Capital is a multi-stage fund managed by former investors of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and London-based investment firm Hedosophia.
9900’s mission is to support exceptional founders tackling “big problems” across a variety of sectors globally.
“Kolet’s vision to disrupt the oligopolistic telecommunications industry resonates strongly with 9900 Capital’s investment philosophy of solving ‘big problems’ and injustices affecting global consumers. Kolet’s dedicated team, innovative eSIM technology, and commitment to putting an end to exorbitant roaming charges make Kolet an important investment for us. We believe in their potential to transform the travel experience and are excited to be a part of their journey,” says Chris Corbishley, co-founder and managing partner of 9900 Capital.