Hedgehog

What Hedgehog does

Hedgehog SONiC Foundation, Inc. is a Seattle-based, privately held open networking software company that builds the Hedgehog Open Network Fabric, a Kubernetes-native network operating system layered on the open-source SONiC distribution. The product provides spine-leaf and mesh topologies using BGP EVPN/VXLAN overlays, manages switches through Kubernetes Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs) and the gNMI interface, and adds RoCE v2 lossless Ethernet, multi-tenant VPCs, and an actively-redundant Gateway component for VPC peering and external connectivity. Its core components include the Fabric Controller, the per-switch Fabric Agent, and the Fabricator (hhfab) command-line installer; software is distributed open-source via GitHub and packaged through ghcr.io. The company's strategic positioning is anchored by OCP Accepted reference architectures for AI training and inference fabrics, validated on Celestica and Edgecore hardware, and by native integration with NVIDIA Spectrum-X Ethernet under the NVIDIA Cloud Partner program.

Hedgehog serves AI and HPC data center operators, cloud service providers, and system integrators deploying Ethernet-based GPU clusters, with a named reference customer in Zipline (drone delivery). Revenue is generated through per-unit (system or node) annual software subscriptions auto-renewing absent 30-day notice, supplemented by paid professional services (device certification, integration, implementation) and training, with a free Design Partner Program used as the evaluation funnel. GTM combines bottom-up product-led adoption (free Virtual Lab, free network planning workshops, OCP Marketplace) with top-down enterprise sales for larger fabric deployments, supported by participation in OCP Global Summit and OCP EMEA Summit. The company is led by Founder & CEO Marc Austin and CTO Manish Vachharajani, with a VP Sales and VP Finance rounding out the commercial leadership team, and has raised approximately $11.9M in cumulative disclosed funding across a 2022 Form D and a November 2025 round.

Name

Hedgehog

Legal name

Hedgehog SONiC Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://hedgehog.cloud

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hedgehog SONiC Foundation is a Seattle-based open networking software company that delivers a Kubernetes-native SONiC-based network fabric for AI and HPC data center operators, cloud providers, and system integrators deploying Ethernet-based GPU clusters, monetizing through per-node software subscriptions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

AI Data Center Networking Software

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518), Software Publishers (51321)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Edge Security Delivery (DDoS, WAF, Bot Mitigation at Edge) (HDABAGAH)

Keywords

• AI data center networking
• Open network fabric
• SONiC network software
• Kubernetes network management
• RoCE RDMA networking

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Subscriptions: Time-bound software subscriptions priced based on Units (systems or nodes) deployed. Subscriptions automatically renew for successive terms unless cancelled with 30 days notice. Fees are non-refundable and payable in US dollars with net 30 payment terms.
2. Support Services: Support terms and Service Level Agreements offered as add-on subscriptions to the core software product.
3. Professional Services: Consulting services including device certifications, software integration, and implementation support.
4. Training Services: Access to Hedgehog training courses including online courses or on-site training.
5. Evaluation Subscriptions: Free evaluation subscriptions for testing and demonstration purposes, available through the Design Partner Program. Not for production use.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Hedgehog sells the Hedgehog Open Network Fabric, an open-source Kubernetes-native network fabric software based on SONiC that connects GPUs, servers, and storage in AI and HPC data centers. The product is delivered as a software appliance with the Fabricator (hhfab) CLI for deployment, the Fabric Agent running on each switch, and the Gateway module for VPC peering and external connectivity, and is licensed under Apache 2.0 with commercial subscriptions sold per Unit (system or node). It targets enterprises, cloud providers, and system builders operating GPU-dense AI training and inference fabrics, and is complemented by OCP Accepted reference architectures, professional services, training, and support subscriptions.

Product overview

Hedgehog offers the Hedgehog Open Network Fabric, an open-source Kubernetes-native network fabric for AI infrastructure. The core product consists of the Open Network Fabric (managed via Kubernetes CRDs), the Fabricator (hhfab) CLI tool for deployment and management, the Fabric Agent running on switches, and the Gateway module for VPC peering and external connectivity. The product supports spine-leaf and mesh topologies, multi-tenancy through VPCs, RoCE v2 for RDMA workloads, and integrates with NVIDIA Spectrum-X Ethernet. Hedgehog provides an OCP Accepted AI reference architecture for deploying AI training and inference fabrics, along with a Virtual Lab (VLAB) for evaluation. The company operates on an open-source model with Apache 2.0 licensing and contributions to the SONiC open-source project.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hedgehog Open Network Fabric An open-source Kubernetes-native network fabric based on SONiC that provides connectivity between virtual and physical workloads with isolation via BGP EVPN and VXLAN, supporting spine-leaf and mesh topologies and multi-tenancy through Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs). Sold to enterprises, cloud providers, and system builders deploying AI training and inference infrastructure.
• Fabricator (hhfab) A command-line tool for installing, configuring, and managing Hedgehog Fabric deployments, used to provision control nodes, build installer images, manage fabric configuration, and operate the Virtual Lab (VLAB) for testing.
• Gateway A fabric component enabling peering between VPCs and external networks, supporting stateful source NAT, stateless NAT, active-passive redundancy, multiple gateway groups, Port Address Translation, and Masquerade with throughput up to 120 Gb/s across multiple streams.
• Virtual Lab (VLAB) A fully virtual environment using QEMU/KVM and SONiC Virtual Switch for testing and learning about Hedgehog Fabric, supporting spine-leaf and mesh topology configurations, not suitable for data plane or performance testing.
• OCP Accepted AI Reference Architectures Open Compute Project Accepted reference architectures for AI training fabric and AI inference fabric, providing validated production-ready blueprints for deploying open, Ethernet-based AI networks using disaggregated hardware with interoperability across silicon vendors.
• NVIDIA Spectrum-X Ethernet Support Integrated support for NVIDIA Spectrum-X Ethernet and NVIDIA Cloud Partner reference architecture, enabling cloud providers to deploy AI-optimized fabrics with cloud-native operational models for large-scale AI workloads.
• Support Services Subscription-based support and Service Level Agreements offered as add-ons to the Hedgehog Open Network Fabric software subscriptions for enterprise customers.
• Professional Services Consulting services covering device certifications, software integration, and implementation support for Hedgehog Fabric deployments, quoted separately based on the scope of engagement.
• Training Services Educational courses covering Hedgehog Fabric, delivered as online courses or on-site training for customer engineering teams.

Quantifiable outcome

• Time to GPU value in hours instead of months for network deployment
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability4 records

Feature12 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CelesticacoreTechnology or Integration · 30 April 2026Celestica collaborated with Hedgehog to validate the AI training fabric and AI inference fabric reference architectures across open systems as an OCP hardware partner. Celestica's hardware is used in validating Hedgehog's OCP Accepted reference designs for AI network deployments.
• Open Compute Project (OCP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHedgehog contributed its AI training fabric and AI inference fabric designs to the Open Compute Project as OCP Accepted™ reference architectures, immediately available through the OCP Marketplace. The contributions provide validated, production-ready blueprints for deploying open, Ethernet-based AI networks.
• NVIDIAcoreTechnology or IntegrationHedgehog announced support for NVIDIA Spectrum-X Ethernet and NVIDIA Cloud Partner reference architecture at GTC 2026. This enables cloud providers to deploy AI-optimized fabrics with cloud-native operational models, integrating high-performance AI-optimized Ethernet for large-scale AI workloads. Deployment scheduled for Q2 2026.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Cisco Systems: Cisco offers a broad networking portfolio including SONiC-based offerings and AI fabric solutions through its Nexus and Silicon One platforms. It is a broad incumbent competing in the same data center and AI networking category.
• Broadcom: Broadcom supplies the Tomahawk (TD3/TH3/TH4G/TH5) silicon that powers much of Hedgehog's supported switch portfolio. It is a critical silicon ecosystem participant with adjacent networking software and switching products.
• Juniper Networks: Juniper provides data center switching and AI cluster networking solutions (including Apstra and Mist AI). It is a broad incumbent with overlapping AI fabric capabilities and is being acquired by HPE.

Others

• Celestica: Celestica is an OCP hardware partner whose DS2000, DS4101, DS5000, and DCS240 platforms are validated as part of Hedgehog's OCP Accepted AI reference architectures. It is a hardware ecosystem partner, not a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• DriveNets: DriveNets offers network disaggregation software for cloud and AI workloads, running on white-box hardware with a cloud-native architecture. It is a direct competitor in the disaggregated network OS space.
• Pluribus Networks: Pluribus offers an open, Linux-based SDN fabric for data centers with a focus on automation and multi-tenancy. It targets similar enterprise and cloud-provider customers seeking disaggregated networking.
• NVIDIA (Spectrum-X / Mellanox): NVIDIA's Spectrum-X Ethernet platform and Mellanox-derived networking portfolio are turnkey AI fabric solutions that compete directly with Hedgehog's open-Ethernet approach. NVIDIA is simultaneously a partner and a competitor.
• Aviz Networks: Aviz Networks provides SONiC-based open networking software, multi-vendor support, and AI fabric orchestration tooling. It is a direct peer in the SONiC ecosystem targeting similar AI/HPC customers.
• Arista Networks: Arista is a leading provider of high-performance data center networking switches and software, with a strong focus on AI/ML fabric deployments. It is the most direct commercial competitor to Hedgehog in the high-speed, low-latency data center networking market.
• Edgecore Networks: Edgecore supplies white-box and OCP-compliant networking hardware (including Celestica-validated AS9726/DCS240) commonly used in SONiC and AI fabric deployments. It is both a partner and a key enabler in the open AI networking ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/githedgehog
• GitHubgithub.com/githedgehog
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@hedgehog-sonic
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/githedgehog

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hedgehog