metals-and-mining
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Open Mineral
Open Mineral is a Swiss-based, AI-driven metals trading firm and digital marketplace that connects miners, smelters, and traders to buy and sell physical metal raw materials - such as copper, zinc, lead, gold and silver concentrates - directly and transparently. Founded in 2017 by former Glencore traders, the company pairs a physical trading desk with proprietary data and pricing algorithms to digitize a historically opaque, relationship-driven industry, and has onboarded hundreds of mining and metals companies across dozens of countries.
Still Bright
Still Bright is a Newark, New Jersey hard-tech company reinventing how the world makes copper. Its patented RACER process (Rapid and Complete Electrochemical Reduction) soaks copper-bearing ore and mine waste in a vanadium-based solution that pulls the metal out in minutes at room temperature and pressure, then uses electricity to regenerate the solution - a trick borrowed from vanadium flow batteries. The result: up to 99% copper recovery with equipment that runs 70-90% cheaper than traditional smelters and produces no toxic emissions. Founded in 2022 by CEO Randy Allen and CTO Jon Vardner, the company raised $18.7M in seed funding in 2025 and is scaling toward pilot production of domestic, clean copper.