Endolith, a Denver-based biotech startup, has secured $13.5 million in venture capital to use artificial intelligence and microbes to extract vital minerals like copper from low-grade ore. As the United States and its allies race to secure vital mineral supply chains heavily concentrated in China, the company aims to open new sources of copper for military systems, data centers, and electric vehicles.
Centered on national security The growing strategic focus on minerals as an economic and national security priority is reflected in Squadra Ventures’ leadership of the Series A round. In an effort to challenge China’s hegemony, President Trump recently pushed to increase domestic metals production and fortify alliances. In order to raise $16.5 million for the round, Endolith intends to raise an additional $3 million.
Biomining startup raises $13.5 million in critical minerals race
Endolith’s microbes can recover copper and other minerals from ore and waste rock that traditional mining would abandon as unprofitable, said Liz Dennett, the company’s founder and CEO. “Microbes have been around for billions of years and they have this ability to catalyze everything,” Dennett said. “They are the best miners.”
Through adaptive laboratory evolution, Endolith adapts microorganisms to harsh environments, such as high arsenic or salted water, over time. To liberate embedded metals, these microorganisms “eat away” at ore. The business’s AI system continuously checks pH and temperature, modifying microbial communities for best results. “We have microbial communities that are adapted for a bunch of different conditions, but the big power is that we’re continuously monitoring the heap and adjusting our microbes as part of that,” Dennett said.
According to Dennett, this method extracts copper more efficiently than conventional acid-based leaching, which frequently only extracts half of the metal that is available. By integrating with current heap-leach operations, the system also lowers expenses and environmental damage. Endolith intends to use its new funding to transition from laboratory testing to mine-site trials, beginning in Arizona.
BHP Group and other global miners are betting on copper demand to rise 70% by 2050. Copper is the second most used material in the Defense Department, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, which recently included it on its list of essential minerals. Obtaining additional copper is “our North Star,” Dennett declared.
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