Five IoT Startups to Watch in 2020Five IoT Startups to Watch in 2020

2020 will be an interesting year for IoT startups. Although much of the manic hype cycle that has surrounded the Internet of Things (IoT) in the past few years has faded, Microsoft reports that 88% of decision makers in over 3,000 enterprises surveyed this year believe IoT is critical to business. So we've picked just a few startups that will be critical to IoT in 2020, from ambitious companies that want users to create IoT-specific networks in the US and beyond to software that could replace GPS for tracking goods. So, in no particular order, here are the startups for your perusal: Helium Helium is one of the most ambitious startups in the tech world today. Co-founded in 2013 by Napster pioneer Shawn Fanning, along with Amir Haleem and Sean Carey, the company sells a $495 long-range IoT hotspot in the US for consumers to install, which earns crypto-currency from monitoring devices like pet trackers and smart water meters on its network.

Helium styles itself as "the people's network," and a would-be alternative to cellular IoT. CEO Haleem says the company plans to move beyond the US and launch in Europe in early 2020. The company has so far gathered $51 million in funding from Google Ventures, Khosla Ventures and FirstMark.

Konux

Munich, Germany-based Konux develops industrial IoT (IIoT) sensors and monitoring systems for train systems. Konux's sensors are installed along the railway tracks and monitor the conditions of key switch components, providing transit companies with predictive maintenance updates on their rail systems.