This global eSIM platform makes connectivity seamless for both travellers and businesses, solving the issues of expensive charges and WiFi dependency.
See our guide to this year’s hottest new businesses and most exceptional founders in the complete 2026 Startups 100 index.
Founders: Irina Gheorghiu and Giulia Acchioni
Year founded: 2020
Website: zimconnections.com
As anyone who has travelled will know, getting online while abroad can often mean expensive charges, trying to track down a local SIM card or being dependent on chasing WiFi connectivity. Businesses are struggling with the same issues but at scale, with operational inefficiencies and unnecessary costs as added problems.
This is where ZIM Connections comes in. London-based founder Irina Gheorghiu and Giulia Acchioni have created a global eSIM platform that makes connectivity seamless for both travellers and businesses.
It allows users to choose from an array of consumer plans. But – and this is the real secret sauce – it also has a Business Suite, enabling companies to assign, manage and track eSIMs across teams in more than 190 destinations. Customers simply have to download the app and then activate their eSim, which takes just minutes.
In the last five years, the founders have established key partnerships, including with leading telecom players such as Verizon. On the investor side, they are backed by BTS Group, which plans to offer a white-label eSIM app and platform, powered by ZIM, to its operators.
Clients now include Giesecke+Devrient, SBB Switzerland, and Allianz – a measure of how far the business has come in a short period of time. As part of the work to get backing, Gheorghiu and Acchioni worked hard to educate businesses about the potential of eSims and to challenge off-the-shelf options that weren’t fit for purpose.
“Being women in a male-dominated industry became part of our strength, as it pushed us to challenge conventions and approach problems with a fresh perspective centred on real user needs,” the founders add.
The company’s hope is now to become the leading provider and management tool for business connectivity worldwide, and an essential part of how businesses manage their employees’ communications needs, akin to payroll and HR software.
View the full Startups 100 Index for 2026
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