# Phoenix Tailings

> Phoenix Tailings is a U.S. rare-earth metals producer that turns concentrates, recycled materials, and mining waste into separated oxides, finished metals, and alloys. Founded in 2019 after 247 customer-discovery interviews exposed a neglected midstream bottleneck, the company now operates facilities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, ships commercial material to magnet and alloy customers, and is trying to scale a cleaner, domestically controlled alternative to China-centered refining.

- **Founded:** 2019
- **Headquarters:** Woburn, United States
- **Founders:** Nicholas Myers (CEO and Co-Founder), Tomás Villalón Jr., PhD (CTO and Co-Founder), Anthony Balladon (Chief Commercial Officer and Co-Founder), Michelle Chao (Co-Founder and former COO)
- **Team size:** Approximately 140 employees in supplied company data; LinkedIn lists 51-200 employees.
- **Products:** Rare-earth metallization, Rare-earth separation, Finished rare-earth metals and alloys, Tailings and recycled-material extraction, Zero-process-emission iron
- **Notable:** Completed 247 customer-discovery interviews through the NSF I-Corps program before choosing its commercial wedge., Produced laboratory-scale pure neodymium and publicly reported 6.6 pounds by 2022., Opened its Burlington, Massachusetts, rare-earth production facility in 2023 and began commercial shipments.

## Products & services

- **Rare-earth metallization** — Proprietary stabilized molten-salt chemistries and automation convert rare-earth oxides into pure metals and alloys with no direct process emissions or waste claimed by the company.
- **Rare-earth separation** — A proprietary separation platform designed to isolate light and heavy rare-earth oxides from ores, concentrates, recycled material, and unconventional feedstocks.
- **Finished rare-earth metals and alloys** — Commercial products include NdPr metal and dysprosium-related products, with terbium, samarium, yttrium, gadolinium, germanium, gallium, and additional materials planned.
- **Tailings and recycled-material extraction** — Processes recover valuable metals from mine waste, recycled magnets, disk drives, wastewater, and other secondary sources.
- **Zero-process-emission iron** — An ARPA-E-backed molten oxide electrolysis program designed to make directly reduced iron without direct greenhouse-gas emissions while protecting the anode from corrosion.

## Achievements

- Completed 247 customer-discovery interviews through the NSF I-Corps program before choosing its commercial wedge.
- Produced laboratory-scale pure neodymium and publicly reported 6.6 pounds by 2022.
- Opened its Burlington, Massachusetts, rare-earth production facility in 2023 and began commercial shipments.
- Opened an Exeter, New Hampshire, metallization facility in October 2025 with no claimed reliance on Chinese inputs, equipment, or technology.
- Raised total Series B capital to $116.6 million in February 2026.
- Acquired Machinery Partner in May 2026 to add AI, automation, and digital manufacturing capabilities.
- Secured selection for a $66 million DOE grant and a separate $500 million conditional government loan commitment in June 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2025-10** — Opened the Exeter, New Hampshire, rare-earth metallization facility.
- **2025-12** — Selected for $1.6 million in ARPA-E funding to recover critical minerals from wastewater.
- **2026-02** — Closed a $40.2 million B-3 amplification round, bringing total Series B funding to $116.6 million, and formalized a strategic Traxys relationship.
- **2026-05** — Acquired industrial-automation company Machinery Partner and added digital infrastructure as a third technology pillar.
- **2026-06** — Announced selection for a $66 million DOE grant and a $500 million conditional loan commitment for a broader rare-earth initiative approaching $1 billion with private capital.
- **2026-07** — Appointed George Kellerman as President of Asia Pacific and Patrick Kumashiro as Chief Strategy Officer.
- **2026-08** — Associated Press reported that existing annual capacity was about 200 kilograms, with a near-term five-ton step and a 120-ton target for 2027 or 2028.

## Links

- Website: https://phoenixtailings.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/phoenixtailings/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/phoenixtailings

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/phoenix-tailings
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-20