Patent Attorney and Founder
From Garage Project to Growing Mushrooms Differently
This story doesn’t start in a lab or some big research facility. It starts in a garage. A few people had an idea: What if we could grow mushrooms better smarter even in small spaces? They built a prototype. It worked. And now, they’re thinking bigger.
The Patent? Just Step One.
Yes, they got a patent. Big milestone. But they’re not popping champagne yet. A patent isn’t the goal it’s just a green light to keep going. So what now?
Three Ways They’re Taking This to Market
They’re looking at a few different paths, depending on who needs mushrooms and where:
- Small, local food spots
Picture a gas station in a food desert, a mom and pop restaurant, or a kitchen in a city apartment. With this setup, mushrooms could grow right there fresh, no shipping, no middleman. - Licensing to big ag and industry
The system scales. That means farms or food companies could use it too. Instead of building factories, the startup licenses the tech. Simple. Low overhead. Focus stays on science, not shipping parts. - Partnering with universities
Schools like Oregon State are doing research in this space. These systems are perfect for labs that want to study mushrooms how they grow, what they can do, and how we might use them in the future.
Why Mushrooms? Why Now?
Here’s the thing. We’ve spent thousands of years learning to farm plants and raise animals. Mushrooms? Not so much. Most types can’t even be grown reliably yet. We’re just scratching the surface.
But this system changes the game. It’s not about compost piles anymore it’s about air flow, water control, and creating the right conditions. Think plumbing, not gardening.
That shift could make it possible to grow rare mushrooms ones that might have health benefits, or even medical uses. Stuff we barely understand right now.
Think: Homebrew Meets Mycology
The vibe here feels a bit like early craft beer. People experimenting in garages. Citizen scientists. Backyard growers. This system gives them real tools like handing a homebrewer a commercial tap setup.
One of the founders put it like this:
“If we can help someone find a new mushroom, and then actually grow it? That changes everything. How we think about food. About medicine. Even about nature itself.”
What They’re Working On Now
Here’s what’s next on their list:
- Raising funding to expand their lab
- Locking in licenses to get more systems out there
- Running studies on mushroom nutrition and safety
- Adding air filters to boost cleanliness and lifespan
Right now, a unit big enough for a small restaurant costs a few thousand dollars. Most of that goes toward the chamber, not the growing system. But as tech from COVID and space research gets cheaper, they think those prices will drop fast.
Bottom Line
This isn’t just about growing mushrooms. It’s about rethinking what’s possible with fungi from food to medicine to science. The system could end up in kitchens, on farms, or in research labs. And maybe, just maybe, it opens the door to mushrooms we’ve never seen before.