# Kurt House

> Kurt Zenz House is the Co-Founder and CEO of KoBold Metals, an AI-driven mineral exploration company backed by Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Andreessen Horowitz. A Harvard-trained earth scientist and serial energy entrepreneur, he built KoBold from the ground up to solve one of the most consequential problems of the energy transition: finding enough copper, cobalt, lithium, and nickel to power a decarbonized world. Under his leadership, the company discovered the Mingomba deposit in Zambia - potentially the most significant copper find in a century - and raised over $1 billion to develop it. Before KoBold, he founded C12 Energy (CO2-based enhanced oil recovery) and Phase Change Resources (natural gas asset acquisition), and held research and teaching roles at MIT and Stanford.

- **Role:** Chief Executive & Co-Founder at KoBold Metals
- **Organizations:** KoBold Metals, C12 Energy, Phase Change Resources, Bain & Company, MIT, Stanford University, Harvard University
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A. in Physics, Claremont McKenna College, Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics and Earth Science, Harvard University, KAUST Post-Doctoral Research Fellow (CO2 capture and storage), MIT
- **Known for:** Co-founded KoBold Metals, now valued at ~$2.96 billion with $1.097B in total funding, Led discovery of Mingomba copper deposit in Zambia - 247M tonnes at 3.64% copper, potentially the most significant Zambian copper discovery in a century, Raised $537M Series C from investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Bill Gates (Breakthrough Energy Ventures), Jeff Bezos, Mitsubishi, and Equinor

## Career timeline

- **2000** — Research Fellow at Stanford University & Affymetrix Inc.
- **2001-2003** — Associate Consultant at Bain & Company
- **2003-2008** — Ph.D. student at Harvard University (Applied Mathematics & Earth Science)
- **2008-2010** — KAUST Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at MIT, studying chemistry and physics of CO2 capture
- **2008-2014** — Founded C12 Energy - developed enhanced oil recovery using CO2 from industrial sources; acquired 60M+ barrels of tertiary reserves
- **2015-2017** — Founded Phase Change Resources (PCR) - direct investment platform for North American natural gas assets, including physics-based production forecasting tool
- **2015-2018** — Adjunct Professor at Stanford University (Energy Resources Engineering)
- **2018** — Co-founded KoBold Metals in Berkeley, CA
- **2021** — KoBold raises Series A; begins applying AI platform across global exploration projects
- **2023** — KoBold announces Mingomba copper discovery in Zambia - 247M tonnes at 3.64% copper
- **2024** — KoBold signs MOU with Africa Finance Corporation for Zambia-Lobito rail project
- **2025-01** — KoBold raises $537M Series C at $2.96B valuation; total funding exceeds $1B
- **2025** — Named Chair of Mineral-X Advisory Council at Stanford University

## Achievements

- Co-founded KoBold Metals, now valued at ~$2.96 billion with $1.097B in total funding
- Led discovery of Mingomba copper deposit in Zambia - 247M tonnes at 3.64% copper, potentially the most significant Zambian copper discovery in a century
- Raised $537M Series C from investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Bill Gates (Breakthrough Energy Ventures), Jeff Bezos, Mitsubishi, and Equinor
- Built C12 Energy, which acquired properties with 60M+ barrels of tertiary oil reserves
- Developed proprietary physics-based natural gas production forecasting tool at Phase Change Resources
- Chair, Mineral-X Advisory Council at Stanford University
- Assembled team combining 200+ years of collective mineral exploration expertise with Silicon Valley AI engineers
- Pioneered 'machine prospector' AI system and 'terrashed' geoscience database for mineral discovery
- Built partnerships with major mining firms including BHP and Rio Tinto

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — KoBold Metals closes $537M Series C round at $2.96B valuation; investors include Andreessen Horowitz Growth, Mitsubishi, Equinor, StepStone Group
- **2024-10** — KoBold signs MOU with Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) to anchor the Zambia-Lobito rail project - reducing copper export transit from 45 days to 7 days
- **2024** — Mingomba shaft sinking projected to begin 2026; mine targeted for 300,000 tonnes annual copper production from 2030s
- **2025** — House indicates KoBold targeting IPO within 3-5 years and plans to add Finland, Botswana, and Canada as exploration jurisdictions

## Links

- Website: https://koboldmetals.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/kurtzenzhouse
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/kurtzhouse

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/kurt-house
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-12