# John Mern

> John Mern is the Co-Founder and CEO of Terra AI, a Khosla Ventures-backed startup using generative AI and probabilistic modeling to transform how humans find and develop critical minerals and energy resources underground. A Stanford PhD in aerospace engineering and alumnus of Boeing Phantom Works and KoBold Metals, Mern built Terra AI's platform to cut mine development timelines in half - running geophysical simulations 125,000x faster than traditional methods, achieving 40% reductions in drilling costs, and helping partners unlock over $100 million in investments. His work sits at the intersection of deep reinforcement learning, geoscience, and the urgent global race to secure the copper, lithium, and cobalt the energy transition demands.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at Terra AI
- **Organizations:** Terra AI, Stanford Intelligent Systems Laboratory (SISL), Boeing Phantom Works, KoBold Metals, Prime Movers Lab, Entheleon Technologies
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BS, Mechanical Engineering and Finance, Washington University, PhD, Aerospace/Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering (SISL), Stanford University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Terra AI, raising $3.4M from Khosla Ventures and building the leading AI platform for subsurface resource exploration, Published PhD thesis on Monte Carlo Planning and Reinforcement Learning at Stanford SISL (2021), achieving 234 academic citations and h-index of 9, Built Terra AI platform that runs geophysical simulations 125,000x faster than traditional methods

## Career timeline

- **2010-2015** — Structural design engineer and systems architect at Boeing Phantom Works, working on advanced unmanned systems and drone/satellite prototypes
- **2016-2021** — PhD researcher at Stanford Intelligent Systems Laboratory (SISL), studying deep reinforcement learning, Monte Carlo tree search, and sequential decision-making; published thesis 'Monte Carlo Planning and Reinforcement Learning for Large Scale Sequential Decision Problems'
- **2018-2021** — Co-founded Entheleon Technologies as CTO during PhD studies - developed deep learning-based video compression codec, secured VC and SBIR government funding
- **2021-2022** — AI Fellow at Prime Movers Lab
- **2022-2023** — Senior Decision Scientist at KoBold Metals, leading AI systems development for mineral exploration
- **2023** — Co-founded Terra AI with Anthony Corso; raised $3.4M seed round led by Khosla Ventures
- **2025** — Presented at PDAC 2025 convention; Rio Tinto joined as investor and strategic partner through Founders Factory accelerator
- **2026** — Terra AI emerged from stealth with major client announcements including Rio Tinto, Ero Copper, and Ramaco Resources

## Achievements

- Co-founded Terra AI, raising $3.4M from Khosla Ventures and building the leading AI platform for subsurface resource exploration
- Published PhD thesis on Monte Carlo Planning and Reinforcement Learning at Stanford SISL (2021), achieving 234 academic citations and h-index of 9
- Built Terra AI platform that runs geophysical simulations 125,000x faster than traditional methods
- Helped Terra AI clients secure over $100 million in project investments
- Delivered 40% reductions in drilling meters and 90% improvement in targeting accuracy for mining clients
- Patent-pending generative modeling platform that could compress mine development timelines from 17 years to under 9
- Founded Entheleon Technologies during PhD, securing VC funding and multiple SBIR government awards
- Selected as AI Fellow at Prime Movers Lab
- Presented at PDAC 2025 (the world's premier mineral exploration convention)
- Terra AI piloted on rare earth projects in the US and tested by companies across the Americas, Africa, and Europe

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Terra AI operating with clients including Rio Tinto, Ero Copper, and Ramaco Resources; platform being tested across the Americas, Africa, and Europe
- **2026-01** — Terra AI emerged from stealth and announced previous $3.4M seed funding and major client partnerships
- **2025-10** — Rio Tinto invested in Terra AI and joined as strategic partner through Founders Factory accelerator program
- **2025-03** — John Mern presented at PDAC 2025 convention on AI's role in redefining mineral exploration
- **2023-10** — Terra AI closed $3.4M seed round led by Khosla Ventures with participation from Storyhouse Ventures, Plug and Play, TomKat Center, and Climate Capital

## Links

- Website: https://johnmern.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-mern

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/john-mern
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-06