With $6 million in new funding, LotusFlare hopes to offer rural connections via balloons, satellites and drones

Silicon Valley startup LotusFlare wants to bring the Internet to everyone -- seriously. The company is working with partners like Google's Project Loon and a variety of wireless carriers to expand rural Internet coverage and lower data charges through customizable plans and apps. Former Facebook engineer Sam Gadodia and his partner Terry Guo, also a former engineer with the social media site, announced that the company has raised $6 million in Series A funding from yet another former Facebook employee, Chamath Palihapitiya's Social + Capital. This is in addition to $4 million in seed funding the company raised in 2014.

With substantial new funding under its belt, LotusFlare is beginning to address a global issue: More than 4.8 billion people are currently unable to access mobile broadband, meaning over half the world's population could benefit from Internet expansion. For now, LotusFlare's primary focus is in rural areas of Sri Lanka and New Zealand, using balloons, satellites and drones to bring cell signals to areas where mobile Internet connections -- and other technology -- is generally unheard of.