Who founded Hedgehog?

Hedgehog was founded by Jamie Balsillie, Wilson Ruotolo in 2022.

Who are Hedgehog's investors?

Hedgehog's investors include Collaborative Fund, Converge, Siddhi Capital, Soma Capital, Y Combinator, Cavallo Ventures, Haystack, Hephaestus Ventures and 7 more.

How much funding has Hedgehog raised?

Hedgehog has disclosed $12.8M raised across 1 round.

Where is Hedgehog headquartered?

Hedgehog is headquartered in San Francisco, US.

Hedgehog

YC S22

San Francisco, US · Founded 2022 · Delaware corporation · 50 employees · 15 known investors

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Hedgehog uses AI and proprietary bioreactors to optimize fungal cultivation for producing food, biochemicals, animal feed, enzymes, and other products from fungi that can recycle waste. The company serves food and agriculture industries by unlocking new fungal-based product possibilities.

Also known as Hedgehog Foods, Inc. · Hedgehog Agriculture

Advanced Manufacturing AgTech AI & Machine Learning Climate Tech FoodTech Robotics Climate Food Tech Agriculture AIUnited States of AmericaAmerica / CanadaPartly Remote

Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (S22)

Hedgehog was founded in 2022 by Jamie Balsillie and Wilson Ruotolo.

Jamie Balsillie FounderHe previously founded Indigo Carbon and held general manager roles at Indigo Agriculture, where he contributed to scaling revenue to over $250 million. Before that, he worked as a consultant in software and food sectors at McKinsey & Co, and completed an MBA from Stanford in 2022.30 Under 30 2023

Wilson Ruotolo FounderWilson Ruotolo holds a PhD from Stanford in robotic hand design and has worked with NASA on exploration end-effectors and on underwater artifact retrieval prototypes. He is a co-founder of Hedgehog, developing robotics for mushroom production.30 Under 30 2023

James Laurence Balsillie Jr.Named on SEC filing

Laura D'AsaroChief Commercial Officer

Board

Trey WardBoard director

Investors · 15

Collaborative Fundlisted by Collaborative FundNew York · $500K – $1M

How we know: collabfund.com · Not right? Tell us

Convergelisted by ConvergeCambridge · $500K – $5M

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Siddhi Capitallisted by Siddhi CapitalMeridian

How we know: Siddhi Capital's portfolio page · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Soma Capitallisted by Soma CapitalSacramento · $100K – $300K

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · somacap.com · Not right? Tell us

Y Combinatorlisted by Y CombinatorSan Francisco · $500K

How we know: the Y Combinator directory · Not right? Tell us

Cavallo VenturesreportedSan Francisco

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

HaystackreportedSan Francisco · $1M – $3M

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Hephaestus VenturesreportedNew York City

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Larkin Street CapitalreportedLenexa

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Pear VCreportedSan Francisco · $150K – $4M

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

R7 PartnersreportedChicago · $100K – $5M

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Sequoia CapitalreportedMenlo Park · $100K – $50M

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Shah Family Officereported

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Tenzor CapitalreportedGibraltar · $250K – $3M

How we know: funding news · Not right? Tell us

UpHonest CapitalreportedSilicon Valley · $50K – $1M

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Reported raises · per SEC filings

Form D private placements

$12.8M disclosed across 1 round · 2024

▶$12.8MraisedAug 2024 · 61 investors · Other

Rule 506(b)

Officers, directors & promoters on the filing

James Laurence Balsillie Jr.Executive Officer, Director
Trey WardDirector
Wilson RuotoloExecutive Officer, Director

Offering amount: $12.9M
Amount sold: $12.8M
First sale: Jun 2024
Incorporated: Corporation, Delaware, 2022
Federal exemptions: 06b

Full filing on SEC EDGAR ↗

Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.

Founder mafia

2 people who came through Hedgehog went on to found or lead other companies.

Jamie BalsillieFounderFounded Hedgehog Wilson RuotoloFounderFounded Hedgehog

Related companies · 6

OvipostOvipost farms insects and worms to produce protein by converting organic waste, positioning insect farming as a sustainable protein source and upcycling solution.

Shinkei SystemsShinkei deploys robotics and computer vision hardware on commercial fishing vessels to process seafood at sea, improving quality and traceability while reducing America's seafood import reliance. The company vertically integrates the supply chain from harvest to consumer, offering real-time visibility and quality control through onboard and fleet-wide software systems.

SmallholdSmallhold grows and distributes gourmet mushrooms through a network of local farms, positioning itself as a sustainable alternative to long-distance agricultural supply chains. The company targets consumers and grocery retailers in regions like Southern California with specialty fungi varieties.

EntocycleEntocycle uses industrial automation and machine learning to convert organic waste into animal and plant feed by breeding black soldier fly larvae at scale. The company addresses protein demand and food waste in global agriculture and aquaculture.

GrubMarketGrubMarket is a food tech company operating a B2B and B2C marketplace in the U.S. and Canada, offering both wholesale produce delivery at discounted prices and AI-powered SaaS software solutions for food supply chain businesses including inventory management, warehouse operations, and eCommerce platforms.

PrecipPrecip provides hyper-local rainfall measurement and forecasting using AI, delivering up-to-the-hour precipitation data at 1km resolution without requiring physical weather stations. The service targets industries and organizations that need accurate rainfall data for operational decision-making and scheduling.

Companies working in the same space as Hedgehog.

Legal entities · 1

corporate structure

Hedgehog Foods, Inc.

In the news

Our 10 favorite startups from YC's S22 Demo Day: Part 2techcrunch.com · Sep 2022

🍄 Hedgehog - Robotic mushroom farmsycombinator.com · Jul 2022

Frequently asked questions

What does Hedgehog do?: Hedgehog uses AI and proprietary bioreactors to optimize fungal cultivation for producing food, biochemicals, animal feed, enzymes, and other products from fungi that can recycle waste. The company serves food and agriculture industries by unlocking new fungal-based product possibilities.
Who founded Hedgehog?: Hedgehog was founded by Jamie Balsillie, Wilson Ruotolo in 2022.
Who are Hedgehog's investors?: Hedgehog's investors include Collaborative Fund, Converge, Siddhi Capital, Soma Capital, Y Combinator, Cavallo Ventures, Haystack, Hephaestus Ventures and 7 more.
How much funding has Hedgehog raised?: Hedgehog has disclosed $12.8M raised across 1 round.
Where is Hedgehog headquartered?: Hedgehog is headquartered in San Francisco, US.