Hauler Hero raises $16M for its AI waste management software

Hauler Hero has raised new funding as demand for its AI-powered waste management software continues to pile up.

The New York-based startup raised $16 million in a Series A round led by Frontier Growth with participation from K5 Global and Somersault Ventures, among others, TechCrunch has learned. Hauler Hero has raised over $27 million in venture capital, to date.

Hauler Hero has developed an online platform for waste hauling companies that handle a variety of tasks, including customer relationship management, billing, and logistics. And now, like many other software companies, Hauler Hero also wants to provide AI assistants to its customers.

Hauler Hero was founded in 2020 by CEO Mark Hoadley and his brother-in-law Ben Sikma, who came across old software while working on the merger and acquisition of the sector. Their goal was to bring waste management into the modern age.

“All the software that was in the air, it was blind, old,” Hoadley told TechCrunch in 2024. “Sometimes we talk about how this reminds us of the Oregon Trail, this reminds us of the phone that Michael Douglas used in ‘Wall Street.’ They are very stupid and primitive. “

These numbers show that the company has done well; Hauler Hero said it has helped move 35 million pieces of trash since it launched in 2020. And it’s continuing to grow, according to Hoadley, who told TechCrunch that the company has increased its volume, revenue, and customers since its announcement. crop around the end of 2024.

Hauler Hero has added new features to its platform since seeding, Hoadley said. The most popular is a product that captures images from third-party cameras on garbage trucks and sends them directly to the software. This allows waste management companies to verify shipments, verify payments, and monitor their distributed fleet, according to the company.

Hoadley said some sanitation workers, and their unions, don’t like this technology upgrade. But he added that many agencies prevent the footage from being used against drivers, for example, and that the footage can help reduce drivers’ liability in accidents or if they’re accused of missing a car.

“Think of it like running a factory without a roof and not being exposed to what’s going on in the factory,” Hoadley said. “If you don’t know what’s going on out there, it’s very difficult to control the quality.

Three groups of AI assistants

Hauler Hero is now working on developing and deploying a team of three AI assistants. One, Hero Vision, focuses on identifying service challenges and revenue opportunities. Hero Chat is a chatbot for customer inquiries. Hero Route will use traffic data to optimize the route.

“There’s a lot of data in our systems related to pickups, service orders, payment information, and if you let them know about your data model, you can go and tell them, hey, go make me a chart,” Hoadley said.

Hauler Hero plans to use its latest funding to sell these agents as well as increase its offerings to municipal corporations, the company’s growing customer base.

“It’s not something I thought would be part of the journey,” Hoadley said of working with government agencies. “It came about organically like most things do. We just came from other towns and ended up selling one and selling another.”

Hoadley said he thinks some of that demand is driven by two competitors, Routeware and Wastechcombined in 2024, leaving public sector organizations with limited options on who to work with.

Hoadley said the company is now focused on improving and expanding its product line – and possibly new ones.

“We will continue to develop these courses for the next decade as we take the risk to deliver value to customers, using all the latest technology,” Hoadley said. “There are so many exciting and valuable things we can do for our customers, and we’re excited about it.”

This section has been updated to better reflect the Series A participants.