Braid raises €34.13 million Series A for branded mobile service

Braid, a Dutch company that lets enterprises launch their own branded mobile connectivity, has raised €34.13 million ($38 million) in a Series A funding round. The company also announced that it has rebranded from Next Communications.

The round is the first external capital Braid has taken since it was founded in 2023. It was led by London-based Octopus Ventures. The company is described as profitable, which is unusual for a startup raising its first outside money.

What Braid does

Braid's platform is aimed at businesses that want to offer mobile connectivity under their own brand rather than send customers to a traditional operator. In practice, that means companies can add a mobile service to their existing relationship with customers and keep that relationship in-house.

The new name replaces Next Communications and marks a new phase for the company as it moves from a self-funded business to one backed by outside investors.

Why it matters

Brands in many sectors are looking for ways to deepen customer engagement and open new revenue streams. Branded connectivity is one such route, and a profitable provider with fresh capital could speed up its adoption among larger enterprises.

The company has not been quoted here on specific product plans or hiring targets, and further details on how the funding will be allocated were not available at the time of writing. The round does, however, show investor appetite for infrastructure businesses that combine growth with profitability.