Ex-Expedia and Apple execs back Paris-based Kolet in €9M round to kill roaming headaches for travellers

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French startup Kolet has secured $10M (approximately €9M) in Series A funding led by Daphni to advance its digital eSIM connectivity platform for travellers.

Founded by Eduardo Ronzano, Anne-Carole Cöen, Jérémy Gotteland, and Mehdi Chraibi at the beginning of 2024 in Paris, the startup has now raised a total of €14M across two funding rounds following its €5M seed round with European investment funds Daphni and 9900 Capital.

The funding will support three key initiatives: enhancing the mobile app with new traveller-focused features, launching freemium offers to drive eSIM adoption, whilst simplifying installation for first-time users. It will also expand the team by approximately 10 tech, product, and business professionals over the next 12 months across France and international markets.

The round attracted participation from Peter Kern, former CEO of Expedia Group, and Jon Gieselman, former VP of Marketing at Apple, alongside €1M in non-dilutive funding from Bpifrance.

Kolet has secured partnerships with major travel industry players, including Air France, KLM, Kiwi.com, Exoticca, and Wego, attracting over 300,000 travellers within its first year whilst maintaining a 4.9/5 average rating across app stores.

Addressing €15B roaming market with a B2B2C model

Kolet offers fully digital eSIM technology that can be activated within minutes without physical cards or hidden fees, providing mobile connectivity across more than 190 countries starting at €3.99 for 1GB.

The global mobile roaming market continues expanding as international travel recovers, with traditional telecom operators largely overlooking traveller-specific connectivity needs.

Unlike competitors such as Airalo, Roamless, Nomad, UPeSIM, Pocket eSIM, and Truely, Kolet differentiates through its B2B2C model with strong traction among travel industry players who integrate the service into their customer journeys to enhance the traveller experience.

Travel industry veterans back connectivity innovation

The founding team brings extensive experience in travel technology and telecommunications, positioning Kolet to address connectivity gaps in the travel sector. Lead investor Daphni specialises in European technology companies, with a portfolio spanning digital innovation and consumer technology sectors.

“This funding will allow us to scale up: expand our partner network, strengthen our product, and build a world-class team,” said Eduardo Ronzano, CEO and co-founder of Kolet.

“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,” said Mario Gavira, VP of Global Growth & Brand at Kiwi.com.

€14M roadmap: 1M users and global expansion

Following its €5M seed funding from Daphni and 9900 Capital in 2024, Kolet has demonstrated rapid growth with transparent pricing and unique features, including the ability to reuse unused data on future trips. The company targets reaching 1 million users by the end of the year, driven by expanding travel partnerships and strong customer satisfaction metrics.

“This Series A validates our vision: to build a tech service that truly simplifies travellers’ lives. At Kolet, technology is not an end in itself — it’s a lever for creating a seamless, reassuring, and deeply human experience,” said Anne-Carole Cöen, Co-founder & CMO.

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, reflecting the company’s international ambitions in the global mobile connectivity space.

This article was created with assistance from Bella, our AI News Assistant. Learn more about our AI practices in our AI Ethics Statement.

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Vigneshwar Ravichandran

Vigneshwar has been a News Reporter at Silicon Canals since 2018. A seasoned technology journalist with almost a decade of experience, he covers the European startup ecosystem, from AI and Web3 to clean energy and health tech. Previously, he was a content producer and consumer product reviewer for leading Indian digital media, including NDTV, GizBot, and FoneArena. He graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Electronics and Instrumentation in Chennai and a Diploma in Broadcasting Journalism in New Delhi.

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