The Hague-based company’s first external funding round signals a shift toward programmable telecom infrastructure, allowing businesses to offer mobile services without building their own networks.
Dutch technology startup Braid has raised $38 million in Series A financing to expand a platform that enables businesses to offer branded mobile connectivity directly through their applications and digital services.
The October 29 funding announcement identified Octopus Ventures as the lead investor, with participation from KPN Ventures, the investment arm of Dutch telecommunications operator KPN.
Founded in 2023 and previously operating as Next Communications, Braid said the investment marked its first external financing round. The company also reported that it was profitable and cash-flow positive.
The financing reflects a broader opportunity for European technology companies: transforming traditionally complex telecommunications infrastructure into programmable services that other businesses can integrate into their products.
Making Mobile Connectivity Programmable
Braid operates a connectivity orchestration platform connecting more than 600 mobile networks across over 200 countries.
Through a single application programming interface (API), software development kit or branded storefront, businesses can provide SIM and eSIM connectivity without establishing their own telecommunications operations.
According to Startup.eu’s funding coverage, the company says a live trial can begin within three minutes, while a branded mobile service can launch in as little as one week.
These are company-reported deployment capabilities rather than independently verified implementation times across different customers.
Braid currently serves nearly 90 enterprise customers, including businesses operating in financial technology and travel.
A Founder Who Experienced Telecom Complexity
Braid founder and CEO Jignesh Dave previously worked in banking in the United Kingdom and South Africa, including at Lloyds, before operating a mobile virtual network business for seven years.
His experience exposed the difficulties associated with becoming a connectivity provider, including carrier negotiations, regulatory requirements and infrastructure arrangements.
Dave said it took 18 months and approximately €500,000 before he could sell his first SIM card.
The experience informed Braid’s approach: allowing companies to integrate connectivity into existing customer experiences rather than requiring them to establish telecommunications businesses independently.
For example, a travel company could include mobile connectivity within a booking, while a financial services provider could incorporate connectivity into customer benefits.
European Telecom Operators See New Opportunities
According to EU-Startups’ report, Braid’s investors view embedded connectivity as an emerging infrastructure market.
Uthish Ranjan, partner at Octopus Ventures, emphasized the company’s ability to simplify processes traditionally dependent on lengthy negotiations and fragmented telecommunications systems.
Reinout van Ierschot, executive vice president of KPN Wholesale, highlighted how Braid’s API could accelerate the introduction of connectivity products.
KPN’s participation is particularly significant because it connects a European telecommunications incumbent with a startup developing software-based distribution infrastructure.
Why This Matters Beyond Another Funding Round
For software developers, embedded connectivity introduces opportunities to incorporate communications services into travel platforms, financial applications and connected products.
However, integration also requires reliable provisioning, billing, security controls and management of multiple network providers.
Braid plans to use the funding for international expansion, additional carrier integrations and infrastructure development.
The larger competitive question is whether telecommunications services can become as accessible to software developers as digital payments and cloud computing.
Braid’s investment illustrates how European startups may create valuable technology businesses by simplifying established infrastructure rather than building entirely new networks.
