Fundraising Fox

Hedgehog

YC S22

San Francisco, US · Founded 2022 · Delaware corporation · 50 employees · 4 known investors

Find your way into Hedgehog

2,699 people in our graph share verified history with the Hedgehog team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.

Deep Nisharunlockedknows Wilson Ruotolo · together at Stanford University (overlapped)
×4knows the team · via Stanford University
×3knows the team · via McKinsey & Company
knows the team · via Y Combinator
knows the team · via University of Virginia
×2knows the team · via Stanford University Graduate School of Business

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 Agriculture

Advanced ManufacturingAgTechAI & Machine LearningClimate TechFoodTechRoboticsClimateFood TechAgricultureAIUnited States of AmericaAmerica / CanadaPartly Remote

Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (S22)

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

JBJamie Balsillie
Jamie BalsillieinFounderHe 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
WRWilson Ruotolo
Wilson RuotoloinFounderWilson 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
JL
James Laurence Balsillie Jr.Named on SEC filing

Board

TW
Trey WardBoard director

Investors · 4

ConvergeCambridge · $500K – $5M
Siddhi CapitalMeridian
Y CombinatorSan Francisco · $500K
Tenzor Capitalreported$250K – $3M

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.

Competitors · 1

by search overlap
Smallhold6 shared keywordsSmallhold 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.

Companies competing with Hedgehog for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.

In the news

Hedgehog Investments misused funds, Utah says in cease and desist ordersltrib.com · Jul 2025Hedgehog Investments LLC and Its Network Obtain $47MM in Funding for Small-to-Medium Sized Businesses in Q1finance.yahoo.com · Apr 2023Our 10 favorite startups from YC's S22 Demo Day: Part 2techcrunch.com · Sep 2022🍄 Hedgehog - Robotic mushroom farmsycombinator.com · Jul 2022Hedgehog Markets Raises $3.5M in Seed Funding - FinSMEsfinsmes.com · Jul 2021

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 Converge, Siddhi Capital, Y Combinator, Tenzor Capital.
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.