Part of the pride that comes with being a business owner is contributing to your local community: sponsoring youth sports teams, funding school athletic programs, and contributing to charitable causes, for example. But budget constraints are real, and carving out a few thousand dollars annually for donations isn’t always easy, especially for small and mid-sized operators.

David Bannister, founder of Rooftop Digital Income (RDI), saw this tension play out repeatedly during his career working with college and high school athletic programs. Business owners wanted to give, but writing another check wasn’t always feasible. When Bannister learned about Helium’s approach to carrier offload through existing Wi-Fi infrastructure, he recognized its potential to solve two problems at once for businesses: improving indoor cellular coverage and supporting their local communities.

“It’s easier to convince a business owner to give money from this additional potential resource than to ask them to give from their existing pocket,” Bannister said.

A Model Built on Solving Real Problems

RDI works with businesses that already own physical locations like restaurants, convenience stores, hotels, gyms, and onboards them onto the Helium Network using Helium Hotspots and their existing Wi-Fi networks. These locations are strategic, and need reliable connectivity for point-of-sale systems and to meet guest expectations: customers working out at a gym, eating at a restaurant, or spending the night at a hotel count on reliable connectivity.

RDI handles installation end-to-end, integrating Helium into existing Wi-Fi infrastructure without disrupting operations. Businesses receive detailed usage reports showing carrier offload activity and have the potential to earn token rewards based on network performance. Many choose to direct those earnings toward local organizations, creating a tax-advantaged way to support their communities while improving service quality.

The infrastructure was already in place, customers were already present, and connectivity needs were already there. RDI simply connected those elements.

Scaling Through Multi-Location Businesses

Rather than pursuing individual deployments one location at a time, RDI focuses on organizations that already operate at scale. The company is currently deploying Helium Hotspots across 272 Jack’s Restaurants throughout the Southeast and 88 Green Valley Grocery locations in Las Vegas. A local YMCA deployment in Birmingham has since expanded, with RDI securing a national agreement to prepare YMCA facilities for Helium connectivity.

RDI has also established partnerships with the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AHOA) and the Asian American Store Owners Association (ASOA), trade groups whose members collectively operate tens of thousands of hotels and convenience stores nationwide. These operators typically manage portfolios of 20 to 30 locations, making it possible to aggregate modest per-site earnings into more meaningful community contributions.

“When owners operate dozens or hundreds of sites, that’s when it starts to add up,” Bannister said.

This multi-location franchise model mirrors deployment strategies that other institutional players, like Parami Investors, have found effective: identify businesses with existing infrastructure, real connectivity problems, and multiple sites, then deploy systematically.

Enterprise Validation Opens Doors

Bannister’s go-to-market strategy relies on securing commitments from recognized brands first.

“No one wants to be first,” he explained. “But then everybody wants to be the next 20.”

By landing agreements with nationally known restaurant chains, hotel groups, and community organizations early, RDI created proof points that make subsequent conversations easier. When Fortune 500-level companies commit, smaller operators see that as validation.

Keeping the Pitch Simple

Early on, RDI tried explaining Helium in technical detail, walking prospects through lengthy presentations. That approach didn’t work. Now, the pitch is condensed: Helium improves indoor cellular service, deployment is turnkey, and businesses receive transparent monthly reporting.

Onboarding has been streamlined to a single online form. Bannister compares it to signing up for a retail rewards program: quick, clear value, minimal friction.

Crypto doesn’t lead the conversation. For most blue-chip clients, unfamiliarity with digital assets creates unnecessary questions. RDI focuses on connectivity improvement and USD-based reporting. The option to explore token holdings exists for business owners who are interested, but it’s not part of the initial pitch.

“When we go to pay out, you get a detailed usage report and a revenue report in USD,” Bannister said. “They don’t really ask anything after that.”

Infrastructure Where People Already Are

Bannister views Helium as part of a broader shift away from traditional tower-based infrastructure. As mobile data demand continues growing thanks to mobile payments, app usage, and everyday connectivity expectations, indoor coverage is becoming essential rather than supplementary.

By deploying Helium Hotspots in hotels, restaurants, convenience stores, and community centers, RDI is building connectivity infrastructure into the places where people already spend their time. It’s a model that scales not by constructing new towers, but by leveraging the already existing footprint of real businesses, frequented by real people and customers.

For businesses hosting those deployments, the benefit extends beyond connectivity. They improve customer experience, address a real operational challenge, and create a potential mechanism for ongoing community support, all without requiring capital expenditure or ongoing management.

Want to bring Helium connectivity to your nonprofit or business?
Reach out to business@helium.com to learn how your organization can participate.