The Curiosity Collective
The Curiosity Collective is a Paris-based, privately held boutique tour and tasting operator founded in 2018, offering curated small-group experiences (avg seven guests) led by local French 'virtuosi' in Paris and Rome for individual travelers, small groups, and corporate clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersChicago, Illinois, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What The Curiosity Collective does
The Curiosity Collective is a Paris-based, privately held boutique tour and tasting experience operator founded in 2018 by Kat Walker. It designs and delivers curated, small-group experiences (averaging seven guests, capped at ten unless privately booked) led by local French 'virtuosi' who specialize in food, wine, culture, and history. The portfolio spans wine and cheese tastings in 12th-century cellars and Montmartre vineyards, food and pastry walks in Le Marais and other neighborhoods, walking and bike tours of iconic sights, Seine River and Eiffel Tower priority-access experiences, hands-on workshops (croissant making, cocktail mixology), Versailles day trips, and fully customized private or corporate events. Pricing is per-person for individual experiences starting at €100, with private groups starting at €400 and premium VIP engagements from $1,800 for groups of up to ten.
The business runs with no proprietary technology platform: booking is direct-to-consumer via the company website with instant online confirmation for most experiences, supplemented by email-based inquiry for custom and private events, and a marketplace listing on AirBnB Experiences. There is no mobile app, no API, and no disclosed AI tooling. The go-to-market combines organic content (the website plus PARIS DEFINED Magazine and a Substack newsletter), word-of-mouth, and press coverage, with a deliberate refusal to scale through mass-tourism platforms such as TripAdvisor. Channel partnerships with travel designers, destination management companies, and travel agents funnel high-end individual and corporate clients; an enterprise team-building vertical has produced named clients including Google, Meta, Amazon, Dior, Hermès, Hewlett-Packard, and La Sorbonne.
Financially, the company is bootstrapped with no institutional funding rounds, no parent company, and no subsidiaries. Operating geographies are limited to France (Paris) and Italy (Rome). Headcount is approximately ten, and the firm positions itself as a deliberately small, high-margin services business rather than a scaled platform. Recognition includes AirBnB's #1 in Europe and #2 Worldwide ranking, top 10% global expertise, and over 6,000 groups rated five-stars since 2018.
The Curiosity Collective firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Curiosity Collective
- Legal name
- The Curiosity Collective
- Website
- https://curiosity-collective.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Curiosity Collective is a Paris-based, privately held boutique tour and tasting operator founded in 2018, offering curated small-group experiences (avg seven guests) led by local French 'virtuosi' in Paris and Rome for individual travelers, small groups, and corporate clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Curiosity Collective industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cultural Tourism Services
- NAICS
- Tour Operators (561520), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (48721)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Culinary & Wine Travel Agencies (THAKAFAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Culinary Walking & Market Tours (THAJAGAA), Theme & Specialty River Cruises (Culinary/Wellness/Music/etc.) (THAEACAL)
Keywords
Where The Curiosity Collective is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago, Illinois
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Curiosity Collective business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Experience Ticket Sales: Direct ticket sales for individual and small-group experiences including food tours, wine tastings, walking tours, bike tours, Eiffel Tower experiences, and workshops. Revenue generated per-person with various price points depending on experience type.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Louvre District Pastries Walk - Individual |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Secret Cellar Wine + Cheese Pairing Party |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 10 Tastes of Paris Food Tour |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
The Curiosity Collective product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Curiosity Collective provides curated, small-group tours, tastings, workshops, cruises, day trips, and private or corporate experiences in Paris and Rome. Its portfolio includes food and wine tours, local cultural and history walks, bike tours, workshops, Eiffel Tower access, Seine cruises, and Versailles excursions, with individual tickets and customized private or team-building events.
Product overview
The Curiosity Collective is a high-concept tour and tasting company offering curated experiences in Paris (and Rome). The portfolio consists of multiple experience categories including wine and cheese tastings (secret cellar pairings, Montmartre vineyard walks), food tours (Le Marais, Louvre District, Montmartre tasting walks), walking tours, bike tours (iconic sights at sunset/daytime with Champagne), workshops (croissant making, French cocktail mixology), Eiffel Tower priority-access experiences, Seine River cruises, Versailles day trips, and fully customizable private/bespoke experiences. The company positions itself as 'Locals in Love with the City of Light' offering small-group, high-concept tours that avoid mass tourism. They also provide enterprise team-building events and work with travel agents and DMC partners.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Paris Defined Magazine: A magazine and newsletter about French food and culture, created by The Curiosity Collective team to share their culinary and cultural expertise with readers.
Products and services
- Wine + Cheese Tastings
- Food Tours + Tastings
- Walking Tours
- Bike Tours
- Private + Bespoke Experiences
- Workshops + Ateliers
- Eiffel Tower Tours + Tickets
- Day Trips from Paris
- First Day in Paris Tour
- Seine River Cruises
- Montmartre Tours
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 6,000 groups rated experiences 5-stars since 2018
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The Curiosity Collective
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Curiosity Collective technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Curiosity Collective partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Travel Designers and AgentscoreCollaboration with travel designers and destination management companies who refer their guests for curated Paris experiences. The company positions itself as a partner for travel agents to welcome their clients 'like friends would.'
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Curiosity Collective competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
Direct peers
- Context Travel: Small-group expert-led cultural and food tours in major global cities. Comparable scholarly/expert-led tour model, premium pricing, and walk-and-taste format with scholarly guides.
- Eating Europe: Specialty food tour operator in Europe with small-group experiences in multiple cities. Comparable product offering, target market (travelers seeking local cuisine), and small-group format.
- Devour Tours: Food and wine tour operator running small-group tastings across European cities. Directly competes in the same culinary walking tour category with comparable expert-led model.
- Secret Food Tours: Operates small-group food tours across major European and US cities including Paris. Most directly comparable competitor in culinary walking tours with similar group-size philosophy and ticket price points.
- Fat Tire Tours: Paris bike tour operator including wine and Champagne experiences. Comparable bike tour format and Seine/Eiffel-area tour products with group-based pricing.
- Paris by Mouth: Paris-focused food tours and tastings led by culinary experts. Directly comparable Paris culinary tour offering with similar small-group expert-led model.
- Avec Tours: Paris-based wine and food tour specialist offering small-group tastings and vineyard experiences in Paris and France. Direct overlap in Paris culinary and wine tour category.
Broad incumbents
- GetYourGuide: Major global tours and activities marketplace with strong Paris inventory. Larger-scale platform offering similar food, walking, and Seine cruise experiences through competing operators.
- Viator (Tripadvisor): Global tours and activities marketplace listing thousands of Paris tours. Broader incumbent that aggregates comparable experiences, providing distribution and competitive benchmark for operators like The Curiosity Collective.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Curiosity Collective social profiles
Digital presenceThe Curiosity Collective financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Curiosity Collective leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Curiosity Collective funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Curiosity Collective M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Curiosity Collective
What does The Curiosity Collective do?
The Curiosity Collective provides curated, small-group tours, tastings, workshops, cruises, day trips, and private or corporate experiences in Paris and Rome. Its portfolio includes food and wine tours, local cultural and history walks, bike tours, workshops, Eiffel Tower access, Seine cruises, and Versailles excursions, with individual tickets and customized private or team-building events.
Is The Curiosity Collective a public or private company?
The Curiosity Collective is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Curiosity Collective founded?
The Curiosity Collective was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Curiosity Collective based?
The Curiosity Collective is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Curiosity Collective make money?
One revenue line is on record: experience Ticket Sales.
Who are The Curiosity Collective's main competitors?
Airbnb Experiences is listed as an others. Direct peers are Context Travel, Eating Europe, Devour Tours, Secret Food Tours, Fat Tire Tours, Paris by Mouth and Avec Tours. Broad incumbents are GetYourGuide and Viator (Tripadvisor).
Does The Curiosity Collective have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Curiosity Collective.
What industry is The Curiosity Collective in?
The Curiosity Collective's product category is Cultural Tourism Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAKAFAH, Culinary & Wine Travel Agencies, with a secondary code of THAJAGAA, Culinary Walking & Market Tours. Its NAICS code is 561520 and its SIC code is 7900.