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Wild Earth
Offers healthier foods for pets that are better for the environment and more humane than conventional products
About Wild Earth
Wild Earth, Inc. operates within the pet food industry, specializing in the development and sale of high-protein, plant-based dog food. The company was co-founded in 2017 by Ryan Bethencourt, an early investor in cellular agriculture and biotech, and Abril Estrada. Their journey began with a shared concern for the environmental impact and health implications of traditional meat-based pet food. Bethencourt's background in biotechnology and sustainable food ventures, including co-founding IndieBio, directly informed the company's scientific approach to creating animal-free pet nutrition.
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The company's core business revolves around a direct-to-consumer model, selling its products primarily through its website and online retailers. Wild Earth's product line is centered on a proprietary blend of fungi, specifically a strain of Aspergillus oryzae known as Koji, which serves as the primary protein source. This approach is positioned as a sustainable alternative to meat, requiring significantly fewer resources to produce. The dog food is formulated to be nutritionally complete, offering a high-protein content that appeals to health-conscious pet owners seeking alternatives for dogs with common meat allergies or sensitivities.
A significant milestone in the company's history was its appearance on the television show "Shark Tank" in 2019. During the show, Ryan Bethencourt secured a $550,000 investment from billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban for a 10% stake in the company. This event provided not only capital but also substantial public visibility, which helped to accelerate its growth and brand recognition. The company targets dog owners who are focused on health, wellness, and sustainability, offering products such as plant-based kibble, supplements, and treats. Revenue is generated through the sale of these consumer-packaged goods.
At a glance
- Status
- Operational
- Founded
- 2017
- Headquarters
- Berkeley, United States
- Employees
- 20
- Open positions
- None listed
- Dealroom signal
- 71.1/100
- Sub-industry
- Innovative Food
- Sector
- Food, Biotechnology, Grains, Nutrition, Synthetic Biology, Vegan, Alternative Protein, Meat Substitute, Direct-to-Consumer, Sustainable Development Goals, Mycelium Technology
- Technology
- Deep Tech
- Business model
- Manufacturing
- Client focus
- b2c
Knowledge graph
More headlines
Funding history
Company financing events and reported valuations.
| Deal type | Date | Amount | Valuation | Investors | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EARLY VC✓Equity / VC | Jan 2022 | $10M | $115M | Peter Thiel · Cloudview Ventures · VegInvest · Thiel Capital | ↗ |
| EARLY VC✓Equity / VC | Sep 2021 | $23M | $92M | Mark Cuban · Gaingels · VegInvest · Simon Capital | — |
Growth signals
Latest recorded traffic for Wild Earth is 27K monthly website visits, down 46% over the last three months. Wild Earth's team declined 9.1% over the past year.
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Investments and acquisitions
Recent portfolio relationships for companies that also act as investors or acquirers.
Investors
From Dealroom's funding and investor records, grouped by the round each investor first entered.
Seed12 investors entered at this stage
Blue Horizon
Felicis
M Ventures
Aera VC
Stray Dog Capital
Babel Ventures
Mogul
Leap Venture Studio
Founders Fund
Peter Thiel
Pathfinder
Mark Cuban
Series A14 investors entered at this stage
Mars Petcare
Bits x Bites
VegInvest
Vectr Ventures
Radical Investments
Gaingels
Simon Capital- TMTom Mastrobuoni
Big Idea Ventures
At One Ventures- PWPaul Wesley
- CVCloudview Ventures
Thiel Capital
One Ventures
Other known investors9 additional known investors
Google for Startups Accelerator
Baleine & Bjorn Capital- BVBitburger Ventures
Civilization Ventures
David Langer
Purple Orange Ventures
Social Impact Capital
Unreasonable Group
Valhalla Ventures
Source: Dealroom Talent Intelligence.
Global footprint
team presence
Market sentiment
An AI-synthesised read of the highest-engagement posts about Wild Earth on X, ranked by likes and reposts, corporate channels excluded.
Reading the room on X — pulling top posts and synthesizing themes…
Source: X recent search ranked by engagement (likes + retweets) · Synthesis by Claude · Cached for 1 hour
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