Kong Inc. is a software company that provides open-source platforms and cloud services for managing, monitoring, and scaling application programming interfaces (APIs) and microservices. Some of the products offered by Kong Inc. include: Kong Gateway, an open-source API gateway; Kong Enterprise, an API platform that is built on top of Kong Gateway; Kong Konnect, a service connectivity platform; Kuma, an open-source service mesh; Kong Mesh, an enterprise-grade service mesh that is built on top of Kuma; and Insomnia, an open-source API design and testing tool.
 | |
| Type of business | Private |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Founded | October 2017 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco |
| Founder(s) | Augusto Marietti (CEO) Marco Palladino (CTO) Michele Zonca |
| Industry | Cloud services |
| URL | konghq.com |
| Registration | Required |
| Current status | Active |
History
editThe original product was first developed in 2009 in Milan, Italy and first incorporated in the US as Mashape, Inc. The original project was a mash-up (web application hybrid) platform used to aggregate different functions and UI elements from third-party products and services. While developing the product the team dealt with a number of APIs, which inspired the founders to create a unified hub to organize the growing market of APIs. In November 2010 Mashape appeared online as an Alpha product[1] and launched in private Beta in June 2011.[2] The team raised the first funds in the US.[3] In 2010, Mashape received its first angel funding and a further $1,500,000 in seed funding.[4][5] Mashape then rejected some acquisition offers in 2011.[6]
In 2015 Mashape launched an open source project called Kong, which later helped the company secure an $18 million in Series B funding. Subsequently, with the intention of pivoting the company's focus to its new Kong business, Mashape sold API Marketplace to RapidAPI,[7][8] and rebranded the company to Kong Inc.[9][10]
In 2019, Kong acquired Insomnia, an open-source API testing platform.[11]
In September 2025, Kong acquired OpenMeter, an open-source and SaaS platform for real-time usage-based metering and billing. OpenMeter's capabilities were subsequently integrated into Kong Konnect as Konnect Metering & Billing, enabling organizations to monitor, price, and invoice API, AI, and event stream usage.[12]
Technology
editIn 2015, Mashape released Kong, an open-source management layer for APIs and Microservices that is built on top of Nginx and Cassandra/PostgreSQL with the claim of improving performance and reliability. Kong is the main engine of Mashape's marketplace.[13]
References
edit- ↑ "ReadWriteWeb - Mashape launches a Marketplace for APIs". Archived from the original on 2012-05-29. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
- ↑ Mashable - Try Mashape Marketplace
- ↑ TechCrunch - The Italian entrepreneur who moved his team and got funded in 19 days
- ↑ GigaOm - API Market Mashape raised 1.5M in seed from mega investors
- ↑ Forbes Magazine - Bezos and Schmidt among investors betting $1.5M on young Italians of "Mashape"
- ↑ TechCrunch - Mashape Turns Down Acquisition Offers; Raises Seed Round From Big Name Investors
- ↑ "RapidAPI Buys Mashape Hub to Create World's Largest API Marketplace". eWeek. 25 May 2017.
- ↑ "RapidAPI acquired the Mashape Marketplace". appDeveloperMagazine.com.
- ↑ "Years after crashing on Travis Kalanich's couch, this founder has raised $18M for his startup, Mashape". techcrunch.com. 23 March 2017.
- ↑ "The Digital Economy Is The API Economy – And Kong Is King". Forbes.
- ↑ "Kong acquires Insomnia, launches Kong Studio for API development". techcrunch.com. 2019-10-02.
- ↑ "Kong Acquires OpenMeter to Unlock AI and API Monetization for the Agentic Era". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2026-04-13.
- ↑ TechCrunch - Mashape Open-Sources Its Kong API Management Platform