For the majority, mushrooms and the craft behind their cultivation remain an esoteric mystery, with the secrets seemingly hidden beneath a damp log in a mossy forest. However, Terrashroom and its founder, Jared Steele, aim to give people an incredibly simple, dirt-free solution to growing mushrooms at home. Their miracle product is a smart, computer-powered mushroom growing chamber that does all the work. Simply place your mushroom cake inside, adjust the settings, pour in a little water and a healthy harvest of mushrooms will be ready within a week. Steele appeared on ABC’Shark tankseason 16, episode 4, arousing the curiosity of the panel of investors and promoting his invention.

Terrashroom: who are they and what do they do?

Terrashroom was established by Jared Steele as the sole founder and CEO in May 2022. Coming from a non-technical background focused on marketing, business management and entrepreneurship, Steele had previously attempted to create an electronic invention before founding Terrashroom. He launched the company Pombox in 2019, receiving a $28,000 federal grant to create a timed smartphone lock box that would help with digital minimization and deep work by reducing phone time. Without a product or technical co-founder, he was severely burned out after two years of running all of the company’s functions alone and decided to wind down operations.

Steele worked in sales and business development for a few years before embarking on the project of creating a mushroom grow room. The idea was born from his passion for mycology and his experiments in interior decoration and incense. He built the first prototype in his apartment, teaching himself CAD and using 3D printers. When he felt he had a business on his hands, Steele launched a Facebook ad campaign to gauge interest in his concept product. He received thousands of customers who paid for him even though the final product was still years away from being completed. With a healthy infusion of funds from an angel investor, Steele began the next stage of product development, now emphasizing mass manufacturing, given the massive demand.

However, as of early 2023, the product had not progressed much and the basic electrical system suffered from frequent malfunctions. Steele had already spent $80,000 on technical expertise working with a product development agency, and he was about to give up. He posted a job for an electrical engineer online under the title Hail Mary, to which James Elliott, a newly qualified electrical engineer, responded. Elliott recognized Steele’s drive and came on board as product manager. The former then built a new prototype in three days, carrying out basic firmware programming and redoing the electrical wiring. Steele credits Elliott with saving the company and putting in 18 months of time, effort and investment.

Once the foundation was ready, their growing team focused on attracting customers and finishing it through industrial design, graphic design, customer support and mechanical engineering. Yet significant and unforeseen challenges remained in their path. Terrashroom outsourced its mass production to China, but COVID-19 restrictions delayed its manufacturing process. They encountered problems with Meta platforms and had to recreate accounts, losing some of their subscribers. Terrashroom launched a crowdfunding campaign in March 2024 and raised a total of $135,000.

The Austin-based company’s market-ready Terrashroom model can grow a variety of mushrooms with its smart system, which can be connected to one’s phone to enter orders or check status. The transparent cover covering the mushroom is a polycarbonate dome, very light but resistant to damage. A connected time-lapse camera captures the entire life cycle of growing mushrooms. Customers can purchase mushroom cakes pre-inoculated with blue oysters, lion’s mane, reishi, pink oysters or shiitake mushrooms. They can also grow their own crops and feed the relevant data into the system, which will then create the ideal conditions for the variety being grown.

Terrashroom: where are they now?

In October 2024, Terrashroom began mass production in China and has over 6,500 pre-orders to fulfill. Their first mass-produced batch, containing 130 units, will arrive at their Austin warehouse on November 13, 2024. The second batch, with 1040 units, will arrive on December 15, 2024. Terrashroom orders can be placed on their website, but there is a long waiting list at the time of writing this article. A single mushroom growing chamber can be ordered for $499, with an introductory discount bringing the price down to $399. It also comes with a free ready-to-grow mushroom cake. A HEPA filter pack add-on for TS-01 (2-pack) can be purchased for $24.99.

The team is also working on creating a new website, and Jared Steele personally keeps customers informed with a weekly update video on their website or YouTube channel. The company has also promised to remain open source with its technology, allowing access to its source code, CAD models and detailed assembly instructions to allow anyone to build their own bedroom at home and truly democratize the culture mushrooms. With its first finalized version of the product ready and mass production underway, the team can now focus more on marketing and customer satisfaction.

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