Announcing the Helium Foundation Membership Program
Drive Network growth as an aligned stakeholder and support the expansion of decentralized wireless.
Summary
- Foundation Membership will bring together stakeholders to collaborate on Network growth initiatives
- Join the Inaugural Member Call on October 26, 2023 at 12 PM ET
- Discounted Launch Pricing for 2024
The Helium Network brings cost-effective wireless connectivity to people and devices around the world. In just four years, the Helium Network has inspired new connected applications, improved operating costs for businesses, increased the reach of existing networks, and so much more. The Helium Foundation is the connective tissue of the decentralized Helium Network. The Foundation supports the healthy growth and development of the Network as a responsible steward on behalf of the global community of hosts and providers that built and maintain the Network’s infrastructure.
Today, we’re thrilled to announce the formal launch of the Helium Foundation Membership Program to align even more closely with long-term stakeholders and ensure the perpetual, healthy growth of decentralized wireless.
The inspiration for the Helium Foundation dates back to the first community call in 2020, and the need for an independent body to shepherd Helium Network governance. The organization was formally launched in 2021 and has taken on more responsibility to benefit the entire community. Full-time team members focus on the following areas:
1. Steward Helium Network governance
The Foundation established the initial framework of decentralized governance where authority over the Network resides with the community. We continue to evolve that framework for better coordination, improved operational flow, and a more inclusive user experience. The team recently published a Governance Committee charter to bring even more operational authority to the community. Foundation Members are encouraged to join the Governance Committee.
2. Expand and improve the ecosystem
The Foundation plays many roles in supporting the ecosystem, including:
- Supporting new network users
- Driving toward intuitive user experiences
- Collaborating with new developers and providers
- Overseeing community management
- Awarding grants to entities building on and growing the Network
3. Educate business leaders, legislators, and the public about the benefits of decentralized wireless
The leadership and communications team evangelizes the merits and value of decentralized wireless. Our team meets with public officials, trade groups, other associations, and more to bring traditional and innovative groups into the fold.
We believe it’s critical to highlight the builders and users of the Network to demonstrate its broader utility to the world. The Foundation plays a key role in synthesizing and highlighting exciting developments across the community. This year we welcomed new leadership and full-time staff to elevate Network communications and support new members.
4. Serve in a leadership role for open-source protocol development and technical operations
One of the biggest milestones for Network scalability this year was the successful migration from the Helium blockchain to the Solana blockchain.
The Helium Foundation previously took over all protocol development and management from the Nova Labs team. The Foundation is the primary builder and maintainer of the Network’s infrastructure supporting all types of applications, providers, and network operators.
Membership to the Helium Foundation supports existing operations and elevates the level of collaboration across the Network’s strongest stakeholders. Through strong ecosystem coordination, the community has already built the largest public LoRaWAN network and is rapidly building 5G coverage. By continually evolving the protocol in line with ecosystem growth, together, we can do even more to bring the benefits of decentralized wireless to all.
We believe the next phase of growth requires more demand-side education and support, strong product strategy, evolving incentives, and a coordinated effort to optimize the supply side of the Network. Much work ahead, but as the saying goes, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
Invitation to the Inaugural Member Call
Join the Foundation and other Helium Network stakeholders for the first membership call on Thursday, October 26, 2023 at 12 PM ET.
The first call will discuss the current Foundation priorities, our tentative 2024 event schedule, and goals of the membership program. Members will be able to access promotional and collaborative benefits, work in closer coordination with the Foundation team, and leverage Foundation resources to support growth. As a US-based 501(c)(6) not-for-profit trade association, your business is our interest. Check out the Helium Foundation membership page, benefits, and get involved so we can better connect the world.
If you have any questions ahead of the first call or would like to request an agenda item, please email: membership@helium.foundation
