Helium

CEO: Amir Haleem

Helium is looking to shake up the IoT wireless connectivity market with a peer-to-peer network that encourages consumers to build out the network in exchange for cryptocurrency.

The San Francisco-based startup launched its "LongFi" wireless network that the company claims has 200 times the range of Wi-Fi at 1/1000th of the cost of a cellular modem. That coincided with the company raising a $15 million Series C round, bringing total funding to $51 million.

The company's network is now active in more than 425 U.S. cities after customers purchased more than 1,000 of its Helium Hotspots, which are $495 gateways that consumers can buy and connect to Wi-Fi in exchange for the possibility of receiving the company's cryptocurrency.