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Big Wheelbarrow
Techstars '18Austin, US · Founded 2016 · 57 employees on LinkedIn · 2 known investors
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Big Wheelbarrow builds SaaS supply chain software that helps grocers and distributors source and order from local farms.
Investors · 2
How we know: the Techstars portfolio · open dataset · Top 3000 Accelerator Startups (no YC) 2026-08 · Not right? Tell us
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Company profile
researched Sep 2026Big Wheelbarrow is a software company building supply chain tools that connect food retailers and distributors with nearby small and mid-sized farms and producers. Its cloud-based platform aggregates available inventory across many suppliers and automates the purchase and order management process from field to fulfillment, giving category managers a unified view of inventory, purchases and deliveries and supporting direct store delivery (DSD) as a virtual extension of the warehouse.
The company frames its product as a way for enterprise buyers to work profitably and safely with small producers at scale, addressing what it describes as a $20 billion demand for local products across a retailer's footprint. It is categorized as an agtech and SaaS business, with keywords spanning ecommerce, supply chain, grocery and direct store delivery. The founding team combines backgrounds in farming, food wholesale operations, digital strategy and software engineering, with prior experience at companies including Apple, Dell, PwC and a range of Austin startups.
Founding story
Big Wheelbarrow was started by a farmer and a foodie with the aim of helping small farms enter wholesale supply chains; a technical co-founder and an operations co-founder subsequently joined to pursue a broader goal of building sustainable local food systems. The founding group had previously worked together across startups, food businesses and large technology companies. Named founders are Sam Eder (CEO), Ben McConnell (CMO), Evan Alter (CTO) and Christina Wing (COO).
Business model
Big Wheelbarrow sells cloud-based supply chain software to wholesale food buyers such as grocery chains and distributors, positioning itself as an enterprise platform that aggregates supplier inventory and automates order management rather than as a marketplace operator.
Software-as-a-service supplied to wholesale food buyers; specific pricing terms are not disclosed in available materials.
Traction
Company listings report a small team — six to eight employees — and the product is described as a full product ready stage offering, incorporated as a C-corp. The company has been selected for two accelerator programs and has announced a distribution partnership with iTradeNetwork.
Latest developments
Big Wheelbarrow is listed as an active 43North portfolio company from the Y7 (2022) cohort. Recent milestones include the iTradeNetwork partnership, CEO Sam Eder's Authority Magazine interview on building a more resilient food supply chain, and the establishment of a Buffalo presence alongside its Austin base.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
The company operates in agtech and supply chain SaaS, serving grocery chains and food distributors that want to source from local and urban-adjacent producers; it describes an addressable demand of roughly $20 billion for local products.
The platform focuses specifically on the operational difficulty of sourcing from many small, local producers — aggregating fragmented supplier inventory and automating ordering so that enterprise buyers can use direct store delivery to extend warehouse capacity virtually.
Technology
A cloud-based, enterprise-level platform that creates a unified view of available inventory, purchases and deliveries across many suppliers and automates order management from field to fulfillment, with a stated emphasis on third-party API integrations.
Go-to-market
The company reaches enterprise food buyers directly and through ecosystem partnerships, including an announced partnership with iTradeNetwork, Inc. aimed at expanding local food placement in grocery stores, and through accelerator networks such as Techstars Future of Food and 43North.
Wholesale food buyers: grocery store chains, food distributors and category managers purchasing from small and mid-sized local farms and producers.
Geography
Founded and originally headquartered in Austin, Texas, with an address at 1124 Leona St; since 2022 the company has also operated from Buffalo, New York, where 43North lists its headquarters and where it keeps an office in Seneca One Tower.
History
The company was founded in September 2016 in Austin, Texas, initially by a farmer and a foodie, with a technical co-founder and an operations co-founder joining shortly afterward. It took part in the Techstars Future of Food accelerator in 2018 and joined 43North's Y7 cohort in 2022. Co-founder and CEO Sam Eder relocated from Austin to Buffalo, New York in January 2022, where the company maintains an office in Seneca One Tower; 43North lists Buffalo as headquarters while other company listings continue to show an Austin address at 1124 Leona St.
Compiled by commissioned research from 5 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.
Timeline · 4
launches, deals, and filingsCo-founder Sam Eder moved from Austin to Buffalo in January 2022, with the company keeping an office on the 24th floor of Seneca One Tower; 43North lists Buffalo, NY as headquarters.
Big Wheelbarrow joined 43North's Y7 (2022) cohort and is listed in the accelerator's portfolio under the Agtech and SaaS categories.
Big Wheelbarrow announced a partnership with iTradeNetwork, Inc. intended to place more local food on grocery store shelves.
The company is listed as a 2018 participant in the Techstars Future of Food accelerator program.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 5
primary sources listed
- Big Wheelbarrow - 43North43north.org · web
5 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Big Wheelbarrow do?
- Big Wheelbarrow builds SaaS supply chain software that helps grocers and distributors source and order from local farms.
- Who are Big Wheelbarrow's investors?
- Big Wheelbarrow's investors include Techstars, Far Out Ventures.
- Where is Big Wheelbarrow headquartered?
- Big Wheelbarrow is headquartered in Austin, US.