Mesh++
Chicago, US · Founded 2013 · 128 employees on LinkedIn · 10 known investors
Mesh++ manufactures wireless mesh networking hardware with low-loss routing protocols for fast, automatic connections across difficult-to-serve areas. The company serves rural broadband providers, industrial operations, underserved urban areas, and disaster relief organizations seeking cost-effective internet access without cable infrastructure.
Also known as Mesh Plus Plus · Mesh++ Inc.
Founders & leadership
Mesh++ was founded in 2013 by Danny Gardner.
Investors · 10
Also in the syndicate · 2
Funding
SEC filings, press & company announcements- Undisclosed amountseedOct 2021
World Within (lead), Anorak Ventures, First Leaf Capital, GAN Ventures, Illinois Ventures, Lateral Capital, SOSV, TechNexus
Source ↗
Source: company announcements and press reports — follow each round's link for the claim.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Mesh++ develops and sells solar-powered wireless mesh networking hardware designed to provide Wi-Fi coverage in places that lack cable, ethernet or electrical infrastructure. Its flagship product, the S618 mesh node, uses a patented distributed TDMA routing protocol that the company states loses only about 15% of available throughput per wireless hop, allowing multi-hop networks to extend coverage from a single backhaul point. Nodes are configured by powering them on and inserting a SIM card or ethernet connection somewhere in the network; the remaining nodes self-organize. The S618 integrates dual-SIM 5G or CAT20 4G-LTE backhaul of up to 2Gbps via internal antennas, a submersible all-aluminum enclosure, a removable solar panel, and up to 10 days of battery life without the panel.
The company positions the hardware across rural broadband, public spaces, industrial and IoT sites with limited backhaul, underserved urban areas (with nodes mounted on rooftops and streetlights), temporary event networks, and disaster relief, where networks can operate offline and host local media and applications. Mesh++ states that minimizing trenching can reduce installation costs by up to 85%. The company grew out of a student startup founded by Danny Gardner and was a tenant of EnterpriseWorks at the University of Illinois Research Park from 2017 to 2018 before relocating to Chicago.
Founding story
Mesh++ evolved from a student startup founded by Danny Gardner around the University of Illinois, with a mission of delivering Wi-Fi regardless of preexisting infrastructure using efficient routing that lets small solar-powered routers support high-speed access without electrical, ethernet or physical support. Gardner earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois in 2017 and was admitted to a master's program at Stanford University but left it to lead the company full time as founder and CEO. The company was an EnterpriseWorks tenant at Illinois Research Park from 2017 to 2018 and won the Cozad New Venture Competition.
Business model
Mesh++ manufactures and sells mesh networking hardware (the S618 solar-powered node) to organizations that build and operate their own networks, including internet service providers, cities and public agencies, industrial operators and relief organizations, alongside network design support offered through its website.
Sales of mesh node hardware to network operators and institutional buyers; the sources do not detail pricing or recurring components.
Traction
Publicly documented deployments include free Wi-Fi for distance learning at Shadowwood Mobile Home Park in Champaign, Illinois; installations on Chicago Park District and Chicago Public Schools buildings including Douglass Park; Ignite Cities COVID-19 Wi-Fi relief programs across multiple US cities including Colony Apartments in Columbia, South Carolina; and reported trials or deployments in the DRC, Seychelles and Somalia. The company closed a $4.9M seed round and was shortlisted in the first Africa50 Innovation Challenge. Founder Danny Gardner was named to Crain's Chicago Business 20 In Their 20s (2019) and Crain's Chicago Rising Stars in Tech (2020).
Latest developments
The company promotes a third-party review of its S618 solar-powered mesh node by Crosstalk Solutions and lists an open electrical engineer / sales engineer position. Its team page has expanded from Chicago and Nairobi to also include Hyderabad, with staff across firmware, software, production, mechanical engineering, logistics, QA, sales and business development.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
A hardware startup focused on small-cell, wirelessly scaled connectivity infrastructure for rural and underserved communities, backed by TechNexus Venture Collaborative, Anorak Ventures, SOSV, Illinois Ventures and World Within Ventures. TechNexus notes that the $1.2T US infrastructure package signed on 2021-11-15 allocated $65B to broadband, including $42.5B in grants for building networks, as a potential demand driver for products like Mesh++.
Low-loss patented distributed TDMA routing that preserves throughput across hops, self-configuring deployment requiring no cables or technicians, fully integrated cellular backhaul, solar power and battery autonomy, and a ruggedized submersible aluminum enclosure — attributes the company contrasts with lossy consumer mesh networks and with the cost of trenching for last-mile fiber.
Technology
A patented distributed TDMA (time-division multiple access) routing protocol that limits throughput loss to roughly 15% per wireless hop, enabling multi-hop coverage well beyond consumer mesh systems. Nodes self-configure once powered on and given a SIM card or ethernet uplink. The S618 node combines integrated dual-SIM 5G or CAT20 4G-LTE backhaul up to 2Gbps using internal antennas, solar power with a removable panel, up to 10 days of battery-only runtime, a submersible all-aluminum enclosure, and the ability to host terabytes of local media and applications while offline.
Go-to-market
Direct sales and network-design engagement via the company website, supported by partnerships with city governments and programs such as Ignite Cities, school and park district installations, investor and incubator networks (TechNexus, Illinois Research Park), and third-party product reviews such as a Crosstalk Solutions video review of the S618. The company lists business development and sales staff across its Chicago and Nairobi/Africa operations.
Rural broadband and last-mile internet providers, municipalities and public-space operators, industrial and IoT sites with limited backhaul, organizations serving underserved urban neighborhoods, event organizers needing temporary networks, and disaster relief agencies.
Geography
Headquarters at 346 N. Justine St, Chicago, Illinois, USA, with an office at Rhapta Heights, Rhapta Road, Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya; a later team page also lists Hyderabad. US deployments include Chicago, Champaign (Illinois) and Columbia (South Carolina). International activity referenced includes trials and deployments in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Seychelles and Somalia, and an installation for the Safari Sevens rugby event in Kenya.
History
After emerging from the University of Illinois and an EnterpriseWorks incubation tenure from 2017 to 2018, Mesh++ moved to Chicago. Deployments and programs followed, including free Wi-Fi installations with the City of Champaign at Shadowwood Mobile Home Park for remote learning, Chicago Park District and Chicago Public Schools sites such as Douglass Park, and multi-city COVID-19 Wi-Fi relief programs run with Ignite Cities, including Colony Apartments in Columbia, South Carolina. In December 2021 the company announced a $4.9M seed round. The company subsequently expanded internationally, with an office in Nairobi and, per a later version of its team page, Hyderabad, and was shortlisted in the Africa50 Innovation Challenge.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Non-dilutive funding · 1 SBIR/STTR award
Federal grants — no equity taken| Agency | Phase | Year | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Science Foundation | Phase I | 2019 | $225K |
Source: SBIR.gov award data (U.S. Small Business Administration). SBIR/STTR awards are competitive federal R&D grants and contracts — non-dilutive capital alongside any venture rounds above.
Timeline · 8
launches, deals, and filingsPress coverage cited by the company reports Mesh++ trials and deployments of its self-powered, wire-free mesh Wi-Fi products in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Seychelles and Somalia, alongside an office in Nairobi, Kenya.
Mesh++ completed a $4.9M seed funding round led by impact investor World Within Ventures, with investors including TechNexus Venture Collaborative, Anorak Ventures, SOSV and Illinois Ventures, to expand internet connectivity to rural and underserved communities.
$4.9M source ↗
Mesh++ was among seven companies shortlisted in Africa50's first Innovation Challenge, as reported by Creamer Media.
Mesh++ is listed among Cozad New Venture Competition winners in Research Park news and milestones.
Danny Gardner was named one of Crain's Chicago Rising Stars in Tech in 2020, after being included in Crain's Chicago Business 20 In Their 20s in 2019.
The City of Champaign coordinated a project using Mesh++ networks to provide free internet access supporting distance learning at Shadowwood Mobile Home Park.
Mesh++ hardware was used in Ignite Cities' multi-city COVID-19 Wi-Fi relief program supporting underserved families, including free Wi-Fi at Colony Apartments in Columbia, South Carolina, and installations on Chicago Park District and Chicago Public Schools buildings such as Douglass Park.
Mesh++ was an EnterpriseWorks tenant at the University of Illinois Research Park from 2017 to 2018 before relocating to Chicago, Illinois.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Mesh++meshplusplus.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Mesh++ do?
- Mesh++ builds solar-powered wireless mesh nodes that deliver Wi-Fi coverage without trenching cable or fixed power.
- Who founded Mesh++?
- Mesh++ was founded by Danny Gardner in 2013.
- Who are Mesh++'s investors?
- Mesh++'s investors include Capria Ventures, First Leaf Capital, Illinois Ventures, Anorak Ventures, GAN Ventures, Lateral Capital, SOSV, TechNexus Venture Collaborative.
- Where is Mesh++ headquartered?
- Mesh++ is headquartered in Chicago, US.