Untitled topic

I’ve spent the last couple of years talking to founders and C-suites in tech, fintech, biotech, and early-stage mineral exploration companies. Mineral exploration companies are the kind that raise capital to search and prove economic viability or mineral and metal deposits.

What struck me: these companies behave just like deep-tech startups. They’re small teams with high uncertainty, technical know-how, iterative milestones (sampling, trenching, drilling, permitting), and binary outcomes. The exit? Usually acquisition or development into production. Kind of like a startup getting bought or going to market.

But here’s the kicker: this sector sits upstream of everything else. AI, EVs, energy systems, cloud infrastructure... none of it exists without metals. It’s literally where the value chain starts.

And yet, almost no one in the tech or VC world looks here. It’s considered “old,” even though it’s where innovation desperately needs to reach.

Adding a link to video that is neither slick or flashy, but it’s real, and in my opinion, this is one of the most overlooked frontiers in investing and innovation right now: https://youtu.be/ib0fW1NfyLI?si=Xq3Ii7JXXGXcVdOR

Curious if anyone else here has ever looked at mineral exploration through a startup lens, or sees a world where this sector becomes more open, innovation-driven, or even venture-backed?