direct-lithium-extraction
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Eric McShane
Eric McShane is the co-founder and CEO of Electroflow Technologies, a San Bruno startup turning dilute saltwater brines into battery-ready lithium with an electrochemical process that collapses a ten-step mining chain into three. A UC Berkeley PhD and former Stanford postdoc, he is betting that the missing ingredient for cheap American batteries (LFP, which is 99% made in China) can be made domestically for 40% less. Electroflow has raised about $13 million from Union Square Ventures, Voyager Ventures and Breakthrough Energy, and reports lithium recovery rates near 96% versus the 40-60% typical of evaporation ponds.
Raef Sully
Raef Sully is the CEO of Lilac Solutions, an Oakland-based company pioneering direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology using ceramic ion exchange beads. A structural engineer turned management consultant turned industrial executive, Sully brings 30+ years spanning tall buildings, the Australian Army Reserve, Bain & Company, and a decade running Nutrien's $10 billion nitrogen and phosphate division. He joined Lilac as COO in mid-2023 and ascended to CEO in February 2024 - the same month the company closed a $145 million Series C. Under his leadership, Lilac has achieved 87% lithium recovery at the Great Salt Lake, unveiled Gen 5 technology with 20x higher production rates, and signed a binding 10-year offtake agreement with Traxys North America targeting 50,000 tonnes of lithium product.