Terrashroom Press & media

Press & media

Founding story, product overview, team bios, and the mission & vision of the company.

View Press Kit

Get our press kit

Photography and bios | Our logo pack | Terrashroom fact sheet | App screenshots

View Press Kit

Featured coverage

Collage of people working on projects with tech and materials in a studio setting.

About the team

A small team that wants to help others grow

The story of terrashroom began in 2022 on an air mattress in a friend's spare bedroom in Utah with the idea to automate and simplify mushroom growing. Jared, James, and Alex were brought together through twitter DMs & and Upwork freelance requests - they shared the goal of building something really cool.

The pandemic exposed massive gaps in mental health care and our nation got sicker - the traditional systems wasn’t working. While the research was clear about mushrooms’ healing potential, the cultivation process remained sketchy.

Months of work and hundreds of prototypes later, we built the TS-01 Mushroom Grow Computer. Every night spent in our warehouse, debugging automation systems and perfecting grow conditions, pushed us closer to our mission: build products help people can grow their own medicine.

We've taken what used to require a PhD in mycology and made it as simple as using a coffee maker. When we look back in 20 years, it will seem obvious that that humans want to grow their own medicine and heal themselves.

While we've grown beyond that spare bedroom, our mission remains unchanged: build tools so anyone can grow their own medicine.

Company Timeline

How it started

It began with a text message that changed everything. My friend Mike, a former was a marine vet, was losing his battle with the demons that followed him home. The pandemic had stripped away his job, his relationship, and the structured routine that kept him anchored. What remained was a daily ritual of alcohol and SSRIs that barely kept him afloat.

I had shared some research about mushrooms showing promise in treating depression and PTSD - he . But desperation led him down a dangerous path, ending with a hospital visit after consuming contaminated mushrooms purchased from a stranger online. Watching him fight for his life in that hospital bed, I knew we had to find a better way.

For his birthday, I gave him a grow kit. Those early weeks were filled with quiet determination and crushing disappointment as contamination claimed grow after grow. Each failure pushed him deeper into darkness, until one Tuesday afternoon when his message arrived: "everything i touch turns to sht..." Hours later, his ex-girlfriend Katie forwarded a final text that made my heart stop: "Last failure. Won't be anymore after tonight."

I found him on his bathroom floor, surrounded by empty bottles and pills, a phone displaying his latest contaminated grow illuminating the darkness. That night, holding my brother-in-arms as he broke down, I made a promise. We would find a way to make this healing accessible - not just for Mikey, but for everyone fighting similar battles in silence. Sometimes the darkest moments light the way forward.

Read stories

Company Overview

Terrashroom is not just a hardware product—it’s a paradigm shift.

It’s the world’s first automated mushroom grow computer, designed to make mushroom cultivation as easy as pressing a button. With Terrashroom, anyone—regardless of age, experience, or location—can grow high-quality mushrooms safely and reliably, right at home.

Our Mission

We believe mushroom growing should be effortless, accessible, and inspiring. Terrashroom eliminates complexity, delivering a tool that even an 8-year-old can master, while still meeting the expectations of seasoned growers. Our mission is simple: bring mushrooms into the mainstream by making growing them foolproof and beautiful.

Our Vision

The future is mushrooms. We believe mushrooms are the next frontier in food, medicine, and sustainability. But access has been bogged down by inefficiency, opacity, and risk. Terrashroom fixes this. We remove the middleman, cut through the noise, and give people total control—direct from spore to table. No chemicals, no contamination, no compromises.

Why Terrashroom?

Automation = Accessibility

Growing mushrooms has traditionally been a complex, messy, and intimidating process. Terrashroom obliterates those barriers. We’ve designed a system so intuitive that anyone can use it, yet so precise it delivers lab-grade results.

Design Matters

Tools should be both functional and beautiful. Terrashroom integrates seamlessly into any home, making mushroom cultivation something you’re proud to display—not hide in a garage or closet.

Purity You Control

Terrashroom allows users to grow clean mushrooms, bypassing the supply chain risks of contamination, adulteration, and hidden chemicals. This is food as it should be—transparent, safe, and yours.

A Bigger Movement

This isn’t just about growing mushrooms—it’s about unlocking human potential. From culinary innovation to wellness, mushrooms are at the forefront of a cultural and scientific revolution, helping humans better themselves.

The Bottom Line

Mushrooms growing inside a glass dome with wooden base on a concrete pedestal.

Exploded diagram of a spherical electronic device, showing internal components and structure.

Key features & technology

Engineered to make mushroom growing effortless

Terrashroom is where cutting-edge technology meets timeless natural potential. It’s more than a tool; it’s a movement to change how we grow, think about, and consume mushrooms. This is the future—direct, clean, and in your hands.

Integrated Sensors
Temperature and Humidity Sensors: Precisely regulate the environment for optimal mushroom growth at every stage.
Water Level Sensor: Monitors the internal water reservoir and alerts users when a refill is needed to maintain proper operation.
 
Climate Control
Embedded Heating System: Provides consistent, controlled warmth tailored to mushroom growth cycles.
Passive Cooling System: Reduces temperature by up to 5°F below ambient using an internal water system, ensuring energy efficiency.

Time-Lapse and Monitoring
Embedded Camera System: Observe real-time growth and create stunning time-lapse videos to share or track progress.

Smart Mood Lighting
Dual Lighting Sources: Equipped with a halo ring light and perimeter base light, both customizable for color, brightness, and temperature hue.
Preset Lighting Sequences: Choose from pre-programmed modes to enhance the visual and functional experience.

HEPA Air Filtration
MERV 8 Intake Filter: Allows only clean air to enter the chamber.
MERV 8 Exhaust Filter: Prevents spores from escaping into your home, ensuring safety and cleanliness.

UV Light System
280nm UV Light: Actively reduces mold, bacterial growth, and other pathogens inside the grow chamber, keeping the environment sterile and healthy.

Sleek, Durable Housing
Food-Grade Materials: Built for safety, cleanliness, and durability.
Compact Design: Optimized for modern homes, blending functionality with aesthetic appeal.

Digital Interface & Automation
Touchscreen Display: Simplifies control with intuitive navigation and real-time monitoring.
Full Automation: From climate adjustments to water and light management, Terrashroom handles it all.

The team behind terrashroom

A person standing against a gray wall wearing a light shirt and pants.

Jared Steele | Founder, CEO

Jared started terrashroom back in 2022.

Previous to terrashroom he was the Director of Business Development for Angle Health (YC S21) where he helped grow the team from $0 -> $12M in ARR in the first year.

Before that was working at Unity Technologies as an Industrial Sales Strategist, where he helped organizations like MIT Lincoln Labs, BMW, Raytheon, and the United States Air Force utilize Unity’s game engine technology to create real-time 3D simulations.

Jared was born & raised in Dallas, TX, where he graduated from Texas Tech University with a BS in Business Management.

Fun fact about Jared:
His birthday happens to fall on National Magic Mushroom Day (9/20).

Person observing a glass-enclosed mushroom exhibit on a pedestal.

Alex Crisara | Vice President of Digital

Alex is the VP of Digital at Terrashroom, bringing extensive technical and product leadership experience to the role.

Previously, he was a Technical Product Manager at Livepeer and held software engineering positions at Axle and Brace in New York.

During his time as an SDE II at Amazon, he played a key role in transitioning PillPack's infrastructure into what later became part of Amazon Pharmacy. His earlier experience includes blockchain development at BlockSeer in Palo Alto and web development at AdmitHub through TechStars Boston.

Alex's unique blend of engineering expertise and product management experience across multiple technologies positions him perfectly to drive Terrashroom's digital strategy forward.

Man in casual attire standing against a textured concrete wall.

James Elliott | Vice President of Product

Terrashroom Advisory Board

A man in a black shirt smiling against a white background.

Justin Mares

Justin Mares is a serial entrepreneur who has built several successful companies in the health and wellness space.

As Founder & CEO of Kettle & Fire, he pioneered the shelf-stable bone broth category, growing the company to over $100M in annual revenue. Justin also founded Perfect Keto ($50M+ revenue), Truemed (acquired), and Curely (acquired), establishing himself as a leader in building scalable consumer health brands.

Prior to his entrepreneurial ventures, Justin co-authored the bestselling book "Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth" with Gabriel Weinberg. He started his entrepreneurial journey by building and selling DatingLoop while still in college.

Today, Justin actively invests in and advises early-stage companies, particularly in the food, beverage, and consumer health sectors. Fun fact: Justin started Kettle & Fire after discovering bone broth's healing properties while helping his brother recover from a knee injury.

Smiling man in a cap and jacket under leafy archway.

Kevin Espiritu

Kevin Espiritu is the Founder & CEO of Epic Gardening, which has grown to become the most visited gardening website in the United States with over 10 million monthly visitors. Epic Gardening has 3.4+ million YouTube subscribers, 1.8+ million Instagram followers, and 3.2M+ TikTok followers.

Beyond digital content, Kevin has built Epic Gardening into a comprehensive gardening ecosystem that includes multiple brands: Epic Gardening, Epic Plants (a DTC rare plant business), Seeds.com, and Birdz (modern birding products).

He's also authored multiple bestselling gardening books and hosts the daily Epic Gardening podcast, which has garnered over 25 million downloads. Under his leadership, Epic Gardening has become the go-to resource for both beginner and experienced gardeners, fundamentally changing how people learn about and engage with gardening in the digital age.