MakeSoil
MakeSoil operates a US-based community composting platform connecting household 'Soil Supporters' who donate food scraps with local 'Soil Makers' who compost them, monetizing via donations, municipal subscriptions, and paid soil site transactions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersSan Diego, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What MakeSoil does
MakeSoil is a US-based, privately held community composting platform founded in 2009 by Josh Whiton in Raleigh, North Carolina. The company operates a web application and native iOS/Android mobile apps that connect 'Soil Makers' (individuals or organizations who host composting sites in backyards, community gardens, apartment complexes, places of worship, or workplaces) with 'Soil Supporters' (nearby residents who contribute food scraps). Users discover soil sites through an interactive Google Maps interface, communicate via in-app messaging, and Soil Makers manage contributor participation and soil output. The underlying methodology is thermophilic hot composting reaching approximately 130°F (54°C), supported by open-source DIY bin designs (Soil Maker Box and Soil Maker Cylinder) published as free Google Doc and PDF build guides.
MakeSoil's commercial model combines three revenue streams: (1) tax-deductible individual donations and tiered 'Soil Sponsor' contributions ranging from $5,000 to $500,000; (2) municipal partnership fees priced at a $5,000-per-year minimum that grant cities access to a co-branded version of the composting app, logo integration, resident support, and impact data tracking; and (3) platform-enabled paid soil site services (drop-offs and subscriptions) processed via third-party payment processors, over which MakeSoil may charge a transaction fee. The City of Cincinnati is the only named municipal partner disclosed, with sample impact data showing 175 soil sites activated, 1,407 participating households, 10.4M lb of scraps diverted, 7.3M lb of GHG emissions prevented, and 1M lb of soil created.
The go-to-market is community-led: Soil Makers recruit Soil Supporters via neighborhood social platforms (Facebook, Nextdoor, WhatsApp), printable QR-coded posters, tear-off flyers, and coffee-grounds posters placed at local businesses. Municipal partnerships add a top-down referral channel that lends credibility and accelerates adoption. MakeSoil has no disclosed institutional funding, no headcount figure, and operates as an independent founder-owned platform, making its commercial scale modest relative to its mission-driven positioning in decentralized organics recycling.
MakeSoil firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- MakeSoil
- Legal name
- MakeSoil
- Website
- https://makesoil.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- MakeSoil operates a US-based community composting platform connecting household 'Soil Supporters' who donate food scraps with local 'Soil Makers' who compost them, monetizing via donations, municipal subscriptions, and paid soil site transactions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
MakeSoil industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Composting Platform
- NAICS
- Compost Manufacturing (325315)
- SIC
- Refuse Systems (4953)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Organics & Composting Programs (Food Waste, Green Waste) (BPABALAC)
Keywords
Where MakeSoil is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Diego
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
MakeSoil business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Soil Sponsor Donations: Tax-deductible donations from Soil Sponsors ranging from $5K to $500K. Sponsors receive personal updates and help guide the MakeSoil movement. Contact via [email protected].
- Municipal Partnership Fees: Official city partnerships priced at $5,000 per year minimum. Partners receive access to MakeSoil's composting app, logo integration support, resident support services, and bin usage tracking features.
- Paid Soil Site Services: Platform supports Soil Makers offering paid drop-offs, subscriptions, or related services. Payments handled by third-party processors. MakeSoil may charge Soil Makers platform fees for discovery and payment-support services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Individual Donations |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Soil Sponsor |
| Subscription | Annual | City Partnership |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
MakeSoil product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MakeSoil operates a distributed web and mobile platform (iOS/Android) that connects "Soil Makers" (individuals who compost) with nearby "Soil Supporters" (community members who donate food scraps) via an interactive map of soil sites. The platform supports site creation, messaging, and community participation, and is complemented by free open-source DIY composting bin designs (Soil Maker Box and Soil Maker Cylinder) and a paid City/Partner Activation Program for municipalities.
Product overview
MakeSoil is a distributed network platform for organics recycling that connects Soil Makers (people who compost) with nearby Soil Supporters (people who contribute food scraps). The core offering consists of the MakeSoil web platform and mobile app (iOS/Android), which enable users to find nearby soil sites on an interactive map, create and manage their own soil sites, and participate in community composting. Supporting products include the Soil Maker Box and Soil Maker Cylinder — freely-available DIY composting container designs with detailed build guides. The platform also offers a City/Partner Activation Program for municipalities seeking to supplement curbside composting programs with community-level participation tracking. Promotional materials including flyers, tear-off posters, and cards are available to help Soil Makers grow their local networks.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- MakeSoil Platform (Web) Web application that connects Soil Makers (composters) with nearby Soil Supporters (food scrap contributors), featuring an interactive soil site discovery map, site creation tools, messaging, and community participation features. Targeted at individual community members and municipal partners.
- MakeSoil Mobile App (iOS and Android) Mobile application for iOS and Android that enables users to find soil sites, create soil sites, donate, and manage community composting participation from mobile devices. Targeted at individual Soil Makers and Soil Supporters.
- Soil Maker Box Freely-available DIY composting container design with pest-proof construction, large volume, maximized airflow for thermophilic hot composting, minimal turning requirements, and easy soil harvesting. Build guides provided as Google Doc and PDF. For individuals and community groups who want to host their own soil site.
- Soil Maker Cylinder Minimalist, easy-to-build composting bin made from a roll of wire mesh (hardware cloth) with a lid to keep out animals and rain. Entry-level DIY solution for first-time composters.
- City/Partner Activation Program Paid annual program for municipalities and partner organizations to integrate MakeSoil into local composting programs. Includes access to the MakeSoil app, logo integration support, resident support services, and bin usage tracking with impact metrics (soil sites activated, households participating, scraps saved, GHG prevented, soil created, landfill fees avoided). Targeted at city governments and municipal sustainability departments.
Quantifiable outcome
- 500 people can start composting per $5K donated, supporting 5 new local food gardens
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use MakeSoil
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
MakeSoil technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature1 record
MakeSoil partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- City of CincinnaticoreOfficial municipal partnership where MakeSoil's platform is integrated into Cincinnati's composting program. The partnership tracks resident participation in backyard and community composting, provides impact data including soil sites activated, households participating, and environmental metrics. Partner distributes the MakeSoil app as part of their program offering.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
MakeSoil competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bootstrap Compost: Subscription curbside compost pickup service for residential customers in the mid-Atlantic US. Comparable on customer segment and recurring service revenue, but differs by relying on centralized collection rather than distributed volunteer hosts.
- FoodCyclo: On-demand food waste collection and composting service for residential and commercial generators. Targets the same waste-diversion problem with a paid service wrapper, making it a comparable offering from the user's perspective.
- CompostNow: Subscription-based curbside food scrap collection service that composts residential and commercial organics. Directly comparable because it targets the same end-customer pain point (lack of convenient composting) using a recurring service model, although its delivery mechanism (truck routes) differs from MakeSoil's distributed volunteer approach.
- ShareWaste: Community platform connecting people with compostable food waste to nearby composters. Closest direct peer because it operates on the same hyper-local, peer-to-peer matching model that MakeSoil pioneered, with both platforms organizing community members rather than running collection fleets.
Broad incumbents
- Rubicon Technologies: Technology and services provider for waste and recycling haulers, including organics and sustainability reporting tools. Adjacent competitor that targets the same municipal data and reporting layer MakeSoil offers to cities.
- Recology: Large US employee-owned waste and recycling hauler with significant organics and composting operations, particularly in the western US. Competes for the same municipal organics contracts that MakeSoil targets as a supplement.
- Waste Management, Inc. Largest North American waste services provider, with growing organics recycling and subscription residential compost offerings. Represents the incumbent model MakeSoil positions against for municipal organics programs.
- TerraCycle: Specialty waste recycler operating national programs for hard-to-recycle and organic streams, often via municipal and corporate partnerships. Comparable because it sells organics and recycling services to cities and large organizations, though focused on broader waste categories.
Emerging players
- Mill: Food waste service that combines an in-home dehydrator with a mail-back composting program. Solves the same end-customer pain point (easy home food waste handling) but with hardware and centralized processing rather than community-hosted bins.
- Pela (Lomi): Consumer-grade electric composter (Lomi) that lets households process food scraps on-site. Adjacent solution to the same problem MakeSoil addresses, with a hardware-centric model rather than a community-platform model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
MakeSoil social profiles
Digital presenceMakeSoil financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
MakeSoil leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
MakeSoil funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
MakeSoil M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about MakeSoil
What does MakeSoil do?
MakeSoil operates a distributed web and mobile platform (iOS/Android) that connects "Soil Makers" (individuals who compost) with nearby "Soil Supporters" (community members who donate food scraps) via an interactive map of soil sites. The platform supports site creation, messaging, and community participation, and is complemented by free open-source DIY composting bin designs (Soil Maker Box and Soil Maker Cylinder) and a paid City/Partner Activation Program for municipalities.
Is MakeSoil a public or private company?
MakeSoil is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was MakeSoil founded?
MakeSoil was founded in 2009. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is MakeSoil based?
MakeSoil is headquartered in San Diego, United States, in the North America region.
How does MakeSoil make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Soil Sponsor Donations are the primary driver. The others are municipal Partnership Fees and paid Soil Site Services.
Who are MakeSoil's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bootstrap Compost, FoodCyclo, CompostNow and ShareWaste. Broad incumbents are Rubicon Technologies, Recology, Waste Management, Inc. and TerraCycle. Emerging players are Mill and Pela (Lomi).
Does MakeSoil have an API?
No public API is recorded for MakeSoil.
What industry is MakeSoil in?
MakeSoil's product category is Community Composting Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPABALAC, Organics & Composting Programs (Food Waste, Green Waste). Its NAICS code is 325315 and its SIC code is 4953.