Kombo
Kombo is a French multimodal travel booking platform founded in 2016 that aggregates 400+ European train, bus, flight, and carpooling operators into a single search-and-book interface, earning per-transaction distributor commissions from individual travelers across 10+ countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Kombo does
Kombo (legal entity: ARTEA SAS) is a French multimodal ground-transport metasearch and booking platform founded in 2016 by Clément Hugon (CTO) and Matthieu Marquenet (CEO), headquartered in Saint-Denis near Paris. The platform aggregates tickets from more than 400 European transport operators — including Eurostar, SNCF (TGV inOui, Ouigo, Intercités, TER), Trenitalia, FlixBus, BlaBlaCar, Renfe, Air France, and Italo — into a single search-and-book interface available via web (kombo.co) and native iOS/Android apps, supporting seven languages and EUR/USD/GBP currencies. Its core technical differentiation is a proprietary route-combination algorithm that constructs optimal multimodal itineraries across trains, buses, flights, and carpooling when no direct route exists, paired with a relevance-based sorting algorithm that weighs price, duration, connections, and ticket flexibility.
Kombo operates a pure transaction-fee revenue model, earning distributor commissions on each ticket sold with no separate consumer booking fee; ticket volume mix is 75% train, 20% bus, and 5% flight, with €32 million in gross ticket value sold in 2025. Growth has been product-led and capital-efficient: the company reports 1M+ cumulative app downloads, 40,000+ monthly active users, 70% YoY growth in 2025, and reached profitability on its 10th anniversary in 2026 with only 15 employees. The company raised a seed round of ~$740K in April 2018 led by SGH Capital and has remained largely self-funded since, supplemented by angel capital from former Captain Train founders Martin Ottenwaelter and Valentin Surrel. Recent strategic moves include the January 2026 acquisition of 15-year-old French metasearch competitor KelBillet — the platform's first M&A — and the 2024 launch of the Kombo Gift Card, the first train-dedicated gift card in France.
Kombo firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kombo
- Legal name
- ARTEA SAS
- Website
- https://kombo.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Kombo is a French multimodal travel booking platform founded in 2016 that aggregates 400+ European train, bus, flight, and carpooling operators into a single search-and-book interface, earning per-transaction distributor commissions from individual travelers across 10+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kombo industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Travel Booking / Multimodal Transport Metasearch
- NAICS
- Travel Agencies (561510)
- SIC
- Transportation Services (4700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Rail & Intercity Bus Booking Engines (THALADAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Intercity Bus Aggregators/Marketplaces (Scheduled Coach Ticketing Platforms) (THAIADAH), Wholesale Distribution Platforms & Switches (B2B Booking Engines/Marketplaces) (THAKAJAG)
Keywords
Where Kombo is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Kombo business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales Commission (Transaction Fee): Kombo acts as an authorized distributor and intermediary, earning a commission on each ticket sold through its platform. The company sells tickets across trains (75% of volume), buses (20%), and flights (5%), reaching 32 million euros in tickets sold in 2025. Revenue is generated on a per-transaction basis with no upfront cost to the consumer.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Gift Card - €20 denomination |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Gift Card - €50 denomination |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Gift Card - €100 denomination |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Gift Card - €200 denomination |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Custom Amount Gift Card |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Ticket Sales (Consumer) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Kombo product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kombo operates a proprietary online travel booking platform that aggregates tickets from over 400 European transport operators — including trains (SNCF, Trenitalia, Renfe, Eurostar, Ouigo), buses (FlixBus, BlaBlaBus, National Express), airlines, and carpooling services (BlaBlaCar). As an authorized distributor, Kombo earns a commission on each ticket sold through its website and native iOS/Android apps. Its multimodal route-combination algorithm finds optimal itineraries combining different transport modes when no direct route exists, supported by a relevance-based sorting algorithm considering price, duration, connections, and ticket flexibility.
Product overview
Kombo is a French travel booking platform that operates as a unified platform aggregating over 400 transport companies across Europe. The core offering consists of the Kombo Platform (web and mobile) which enables users to search, compare, and book train, bus, plane, and carpooling tickets through a single interface. The product portfolio includes complementary offerings such as the Kombo Gift Card (a digital gift card product for travel), native iOS and Android mobile applications, and the acquired brand KelBillet (a multimodal metasearch engine). The platform differentiates through route combination technology that allows users to mix different transport modes for optimal journeys, supported by features like customer service in France and automatic refunds. Revenue distribution shows 75% train, 20% bus, and 5% plane bookings. The company reached profitability in 2026 after 10 years of operation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Kombo Platform A travel booking and comparison platform that aggregates tickets from over 400 European train, bus, plane, and carpooling companies, enabling consumers to search, compare, combine, and book multimodal transportation routes through a single interface.
- Kombo Gift Card A digital gift card valid for 2 years across all 400+ transport companies on the Kombo platform; can be used for multiple bookings until the balance is depleted, with values from €20 to custom amounts.
- Kombo iOS App The native iOS mobile application for Kombo, providing full booking functionality including ticket search, comparison, purchase, customer support, and aftersales ticket management for Apple device users.
- Kombo Android App The native Android mobile application for Kombo, providing full booking functionality including ticket search, comparison, purchase, customer support, and aftersales ticket management for Android users.
- KelBillet A multimodal metasearch engine for ground transportation acquired by Kombo in January 2026; retains its brand name while gradually integrating with Kombo's booking platform to expand operator coverage.
Quantifiable outcome
- 32 million euros in tickets sold through the platform in 2025
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Kombo
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Kombo technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration13 records
Feature3 records
Kombo partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- KelBilletcoreKombo acquired KelBillet, a 15-year-old multimodal metasearch engine for ground transportation, in January 2026. The deal was for an undisclosed amount. KelBillet will retain its brand name while its platform will eventually be integrated with Kombo's technology, expanding access to more transport operators across Europe. This acquisition marks a new phase in consolidation of the European ground transportation market.
- EurostarcoreKombo is an authorized partner and distributor of Eurostar tickets, allowing users to search, compare, and book Eurostar high-speed train tickets alongside other transport operators on the platform. Eurostar connects Paris, London, Brussels, Amsterdam, and other major European cities.
- SNCF (TGV inOui, Ouigo, Intercités, TER)coreSNCF is a core partner of Kombo. Kombo is an authorized distributor of all SNCF train tickets including TGV inOui, Ouigo, Intercités, and TER regional trains. This partnership covers all major French train routes and international connections.
- TrenitaliacoreKombo is an official Trenitalia partner and distributor, offering tickets for Frecciarossa, Frecciargento, Frecciabianca, Intercity, and regional trains across Italy and international routes to France, Switzerland, Austria, and Germany.
- FlixBuscoreFlixBus is a core partner, with Kombo distributing FlixBus tickets alongside competing bus and train operators. FlixBus connects 1,000+ destinations across 28 European countries and is one of Europe's largest mobility networks.
- BlaBlaCarcoreKombo integrates BlaBlaCar carpooling journeys into its search and comparison platform. Users can find BlaBlaCar rides alongside trains and buses. BlaBlaCar is the world's largest carpooling platform with 70 million members in 22 countries.
- RenfecoreKombo distributes Renfe train tickets for high-speed and regional services across Spain, including Ouigo España and iryo. This enables Kombo to offer Spanish rail routes alongside French and Italian operators.
- Air FrancecoreAir France flights are included in Kombo's comparison alongside trains and buses, allowing users to compare air travel options with ground transport for the same routes.
- Italo (NTV)coreItalo (Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori) high-speed trains in Italy are available on Kombo, alongside Trenitalia, giving users access to multiple Italian high-speed rail operators.
- National ExpressminorNational Express bus services in the UK are listed on Kombo's platform, complementing other bus operators for UK and international routes.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Kombo competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- BlaBlaCar: World's largest carpooling platform with 70M+ members. Already a Kombo partner integrated into the search experience, but operates its own consumer brand and booking flow, making it both partner and adjacent incumbent in multimodal European travel.
- SNCF Connect: Official SNCF consumer booking platform distributing TGV inOui, Ouigo, Intercités, and TER. Represents the operator-direct competitive threat and is both a Kombo distribution partner and a direct end-customer channel.
- Flix: Parent of FlixBus, Europe's largest coach operator with its own consumer booking platform. A core Kombo distribution partner but also a competitor that controls inventory and can prioritize direct bookings over third-party aggregators.
Direct peers
- Rome2Rio: Global multimodal journey planner comparing train, bus, flight, ferry, and driving options. Comparable to Kombo on the metasearch/discovery layer and increasingly on booking across Europe, with a broader geographic footprint.
- Busbud: Intercity bus booking platform covering 500+ bus operators across 80+ countries. Directly competes with Kombo in the bus ticketing vertical and shares a similar aggregator/OTA business model.
- Kiwi.com: Multimodal online travel agency combining flights, buses, and trains across Europe and globally. Comparable as a self-service booking platform with proprietary virtual-interlining technology and a similar cross-mode comparison proposition.
- Omio (formerly GoEuro): European multimodal booking platform comparing trains, buses, and flights across multiple operators. Directly competes with Kombo on the same customer use case and operator set, particularly in German-speaking and broader Western European markets.
- Trainline: Largest pan-European rail and coach booking platform and Kombo's primary direct competitor. Both aggregate multiple operators, sell tickets to consumers, and compete on price comparison and coverage in France, UK, Italy, Spain, and Germany.
Emerging players
- Wanderio: Italian-based multimodal ground-transport comparison and booking platform. Operates in an overlapping European niche with Kombo, particularly across Italian and Spanish rail and bus routes.
Regional players
- 12Go: Asia-Pacific multimodal transport booking platform covering trains, buses, ferries, and flights. Not a direct European competitor, but operates a comparable aggregator business model in a different geography.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Kombo social profiles
Digital presenceKombo compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Kombo financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kombo leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Kombo subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Kombo funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kombo M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kombo
What does Kombo do?
Kombo operates a proprietary online travel booking platform that aggregates tickets from over 400 European transport operators — including trains (SNCF, Trenitalia, Renfe, Eurostar, Ouigo), buses (FlixBus, BlaBlaBus, National Express), airlines, and carpooling services (BlaBlaCar). As an authorized distributor, Kombo earns a commission on each ticket sold through its website and native iOS/Android apps. Its multimodal route-combination algorithm finds optimal itineraries combining different transport modes when no direct route exists, supported by a relevance-based sorting algorithm considering price, duration, connections, and ticket flexibility.
Is Kombo a public or private company?
Kombo is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Kombo founded?
Kombo was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Kombo based?
Kombo is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does Kombo make money?
One revenue line is on record: ticket Sales Commission (Transaction Fee).
Who are Kombo's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are BlaBlaCar, SNCF Connect and Flix. Direct peers are Rome2Rio, Busbud, Kiwi.com, Omio (formerly GoEuro) and Trainline. Wanderio is listed as an emerging player. 12Go is listed as a regional player.
Does Kombo have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kombo.
What industry is Kombo in?
Kombo's product category is Online Travel Booking / Multimodal Transport Metasearch. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THALADAD, Rail & Intercity Bus Booking Engines, with a secondary code of THAIADAH, Intercity Bus Aggregators/Marketplaces (Scheduled Coach Ticketing Platforms). Its NAICS code is 561510 and its SIC code is 4700.