Shawn Fanning's connected hardware platform Helium raises nearly $16M

Helium Systems, an Internet of things-inspired platform that aims to connect low-power devices without Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, today announced a $15.98 million funding round in a public company filing.

The filing’s date of first sale aligns with a previously announced $13.4 million raise from FirstMark Capital and Khosla Ventures, according to Angel List and CrunchBase. The timing, of course, suggests that the $13.4 million round is actually just part of the larger $15.98 million round revealed today.

Helium was cofounded by Shawn Fanning, of Napster fame, and Amir Haleem, Helium’s chief executive, according to Angel List.

Fanning’s abnormally quiet participation in the company as a cofounder and chairman is perplexing. Perhaps Fanning is staying under-the-radar after the high-profile launch — and fizzle — of Airtime, Fanning and Sean Parker’s video chat startup? We’ve reached out to Helium for more.