Startup profile for Nova Labs: latest funding, latest known valuation, total disclosed funding, investors, status, sources, and why the company is interesting. Part of the Venture Capital Tracker startup directory.
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Nova Labs funding, valuation and investors

Company behind Helium — decentralized wireless networks for IoT and 5G.

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Funding, valuation & investors

Answer-first snapshot

Latest funding

Series D

$200M · February 2022

Latest known valuation

$1.2B

Series D · February 2022

Total disclosed equity funding

$200M

Excludes debt, grants, acquisitions, secondaries, and IPO proceeds.

Current status

private

growth · San Francisco, CA

Investors in latest funding

Lead: Tiger Global Management , Andreessen Horowitz

Sources: latest funding Last verified: 2026-07-25

Overview

Nova Labs (formerly Helium Inc.) builds decentralized wireless infrastructure on the Helium network — community-deployed hotspots providing IoT and 5G coverage rewarded with HNT tokens. Tiger Global and a16z co-led a $200M Series D in 2022 at a $1.2B valuation. The company rebranded from Helium Inc. to Nova Labs to focus on building applications atop the community network.

Why Nova Labs is interesting

DePIN pioneer — Tiger Global and a16z co-led $200M Series D at $1.2B as Helium Inc. rebranded to Nova Labs to build on the community-run network.

Product & use cases

Nova Labs develops products and services on the Helium decentralized wireless network — including Helium Mobile (5G service), IoT connectivity, and tools for deploying and managing community-owned wireless infrastructure.

  • Decentralized IoT device connectivity via Helium hotspots
  • Helium Mobile 5G service
  • Community-deployed wireless coverage with token incentives

Key facts

  • Series D (Feb 2022): $200M at $1.2B co-led by Tiger Global and a16z — BusinessWire
  • Rebranded from Helium Inc. to Nova Labs
  • DePIN wireless network with community hotspots

Funding history (newest first)

Series D

2022-02 $200M Valuation: $1.2B

Source: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220217000000/en/

Investors in our directory

Funds linked from Nova Labs's profile — open a fund page for stage focus and related deal articles.

Andreessen Horowitz Tiger Global Management Khosla Ventures

Competitive landscape

Edge: First-mover in DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure) — millions of community-deployed hotspots create network no single company could build alone.

Helium pioneered DePIN but faced criticism over token economics and coverage claims. Rebrand to Nova Labs shifts focus to building viable services (Helium Mobile) on the existing network. DePIN category remains experimental vs. traditional telecom.

  • Traditional carriers (T-Mobile, AT&T) incumbent

    Centralized 5G and IoT networks.

  • LoRaWAN providers adjacent

    IoT connectivity without crypto token model.

  • Other DePIN projects direct

    Render, Akash — different infrastructure types.

  • Amazon Sidewalk adjacent

    Amazon's IoT network using consumer devices.

Notable stories

  • Helium pioneered the DePIN concept — paying individuals in crypto tokens to deploy wireless hotspots — before rebranding the operating company to Nova Labs in 2022.

Industries

Crypto & Web3 Infrastructure & Cloud Space Tech

FAQs about Nova Labs

Practical answers founders, operators, and investors typically search for.

Company behind Helium decentralized wireless network (formerly Helium Inc.).
Decentralized wireless network with community-deployed hotspots for IoT and 5G.
a16z (/fund/andreessen-horowitz) and Tiger Global co-led $200M Series D at $1.2B.
Helium uses community-deployed hotspots with token rewards; carriers build centralized infrastructure.
Decentralized Physical Infrastructure — crypto-token incentives for real-world hardware deployment.
Nova Labs' 5G mobile service built on the Helium network.
2022, after Series D funding.
Helium network's native token rewarding hotspot deployers.
Not publicly disclosed.
a16z crypto-backed DePIN infrastructure.
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By Venture Capital Tracker

Last updated:

Editorial note: AI tools assisted with research, structure, or drafting. Venture Capital Tracker retains human editorial responsibility for factual accuracy, relevance, and source quality before publication.