● Firsty, founded by ex-Adyen Technical Product Managers Vince Vissers and Gauthier Thierens, is the first telecom provider to offer free mobile data globally, driven by the belief that access to mobile data is a human right.
● Speedinvest led the round with strong backing from other prominent tech ecosystem players. Additional investor participation from DFF (Dutch Founders Fund), Marcel Smits (ex-KPN CFO) and former executives from Mollie, Booking.com, Uber, Vodafone, and Adyen.
● The service has been launched in over 150 markets in 2024 and expanded its customer base to over 400,000 customers, showing rapid growth and adoption
● Firsty announces partnership with Uber, allowing users to access the Uber app without data charges.
Amsterdam, November 19 2024 – Firsty, an Amsterdam-based telecoms startup reshaping the telecoms sector, has raised €5.1M in Seed funding. The funds will accelerate Firsty’s global growth in both B2C and B2B markets, and empower the company to scale its international presence, enhance its technical capabilities, and drive customer-focused innovation.
Firsty’s app for global connectivity is the first of its kind, putting customer needs at the core of its service, offering free access to mobile data, a unique feature in the industry.
Neobanks transformed the financial industry by making banking simple, transparent, and affordable, and Firsty is doing the same for global telecoms. Firsty removes the complexity, in transparency, and high costs typically associated with international mobile data, and represents the next logical step in global telecom innovation by delivering seamless, free, and automatic access to the best networks worldwide on land, at sea, orin the air through the Firsty app.
The round was led by Speedinvest, with participation from DFF (Dutch Founders Fund)led by Founding Partner Laurens Groenendijk, Just-Eat Co-Founder. The round also included notable individuals including Marcel Smits, ex-KPN CFO, and former executives from Mollie, Booking.com, Uber, Vodafone and Adyen, expanding its bench of investors with a proven track record of breaking down barriers and challenging traditional sectors.
In addition to the investment milestone, Firsty is thrilled to announce a partnership withUber, making it possible for users worldwide to access the Uber app and order a trip without extra data charges. Users now won’t have to worry about roaming costs or unsafe wifi connections when they arrive at a new destination and want to order their ride. This collaboration empowers users to move more freely wherever they go for their travel and daily use cases.
Firsty Co-founder and CEO, Vince Vissers said: “We built Firsty because we believe mobile data connectivity is a human right. With support from industry-disrupting investors, we are set to challenge telecom giants, drive rapid growth, and make global telecom free and transparent. We’re not just competing, we’re changing the rules of the game.”
Firsty has quickly gained traction by expanding into over 150 markets across Europe,North America, Latin America, APAC, and Africa in just a few months. Through thisexpansion, the company has secured more than 400,000 users.
“Firsty’s mission is not just to simplify telecom for individual users but to deliver tailored solutions for businesses seeking to provide seamless mobile connectivity for their team sand customers." added Vissers.
Speedinvest Partner, Jeroen Arts said: “Firsty's vision of free global telecom is bold and disruptive. At a time when Europe is prioritising innovation, Firsty stands out by combining scalable technology with a global vision, challenging entrenched players. We’re confident they will redefine how people stay connected across borders, and we’re excited to back their growth.”
DFF (Dutch Founders Fund) Founding Partner, Laurens Groenendijk said: “Firsty checks all the boxes of what we generally look for in a proposition and founding team: an outstanding product fuelled almost entirely by word-of-mouth growth and a fantastic user experience that addresses a complex problem with a straightforward solution. The pace at which the team continues to ship new features is truly something else."
Firsty first launched its beta version across Europe, UK, Turkey, Switzerland, and the USA in January 2024 through its €1.1M pre-seed round. Global mobile data coverage was introduced throughout the course of Q1 2024. The pre-seed round investors included Marcel Smits, Godert Vinkesteijn, ex-CFO KPN Mobile along with Patrick Stal, former head of marketing at Uber and N26.
How Firsty Works: A New Era for telecom
Firsty operates a freemium model that allows users to choose between essential connectivity at no cost and high-speed data starting from €1 per day, reshaping howtravellers, expats, and remote workers access mobile data across the globe.
Unlike traditional mobile providers, Firsty eliminates the complexity of (e)SIM switching or restrictive data plans. Users simply download the app to seamlessly connect to mobile data in any country, without having to worry about setup or hidden fees. On top of offering free data, Firsty also offers a unique feature to pause and retain unused data.
Since launching, Firsty has quickly established itself as a serious competitor in the global telecom market. By securing partnerships with key regional telecom providers, Firsty ensures users can automatically connect to the best available local provider based on their location, without manual configuration.
About Firsty
Firsty believes access to mobile data is a human right. As the first mobile telecom provider to offer free mobile data access, the company is reshaping the telecom landscape by enabling seamless, cost-free connections to the best networks world wide through the Firsty app. Firsty was founded in 2023 by ex-Adyen Technical ProductManagers Vince Vissers and Gauthier Thierens and is headquartered in Amsterdam, theNetherlands.
Learn more at: www.firsty.app
About Speedinvest
Speedinvest is a leading early-stage venture capital firm with more than €1 billion AuM and 30+ investors based in Berlin, London, Munich, Paris, and Vienna. Our dedicated sector-focused teams are the first to fund Europe's most innovative technology startups and our in-house operational experts are on hand to offer founders ongoing support with growth, HR, market expansion, and more. Bitpanda, GoStudent, Wayflyer, Open,CoachHub, Schüttflix, Inkitt, Adverity, and TWAICE are among our portfolio of 300+companies.
Learn more at www.speedinvest.com
About DFF
DFF is an early-stage venture capital fund from Amsterdam, started by the people behindWeTransfer, Just Eat, Treatwell, and fonQ. DFF invests in Vertical SaaS, B2B marketplaces and other businesses that are built upon network effects; backing foundersall over Europe and MENA region in the (pre)seed stage. Since its launch in 2018, the fund has invested in more than 30 companies. DFF has approx. 100m EUR in AuM.
Learn more at www.dutchfoundersfund.com
