Funding the Future of Mining Tech 2026

Significant capital is flowing into critical minerals and industrial resilience, but mining technology companies can still face difficulty funding the path from initial technology development through to industrial scale. At the same time, deposits are becoming deeper, harder to find and more expensive to develop; innovation budgets are under pressure; and the mix of public, private and strategic capital is changing.

Across three panels moderated by Holly Bridgwater, Director at Unearthed, this session examines these capital-market shifts, the players involved, the technologies that require investment, how risk should be allocated, and the commercialisation pathways needed to bring priority technologies to scale.

Panel 1 — Is there a capital gap in mining technology, and where to crowd in?

Capital is increasingly directed towards critical minerals, infrastructure and industrial resilience. Yet technology companies - the ones building solutions that can compress discovery timelines, unlock stranded deposits and recover metal from waste - continue to encounter funding constraints at different stages of development. This panel examines the changing sources, terms and time horizons of capital—and what this means for technology development in mining.

Speakers:

• Sarah McDougall, Associate Director, National Reconstruction Fund

• Mark Frayman, Managing Partner, Orion Industrial Ventures

• Steven Vassiloudis, CEO, Novalith Technologies

Panel 2 — What technologies need funding, and who should carry the risk?

Meeting future demand for critical minerals requires investment in technologies that can improve discovery, extraction, processing and supply-chain capability. This panel considers where investment is most needed, how technology priorities are set, and how technical, commercial and scale-up risk should be shared across strategic, venture, public and project capital.

Speakers:

• John Mern, Co-founder and CEO, Terra AI

• Leigh Staines, CEO, Banksia Minerals

• Melissa Bond, Head of Portfolio Strategy, BHP Ventures

Panel 3 — From technology development to commercialisation: how does it scale?

Developing mining technology requires companies to navigate commercialisation pathways in a complex and relatively opaque market, demonstrate operational value, secure appropriate later-stage funding and build the partnerships required for scale. This panel explores how industry, technology companies and capital providers can strengthen those pathways.

Speakers:

• Harshita Gupta, Manager, Innovation Ecosystems, BHP

• Antonio Sardo, Head of Commercial, IMDEX

• Tamryn Barker, Mining Director, Founders Factory

This session is free to attend for EXPO pass holders.

With perspectives spanning public and private capital, corporate venture, mining innovation, technology founders and commercialisation, it’s a unique opportunity to hear directly from across the funding and innovation ecosystem and connect with the people shaping what gets funded and scaled next.

Register now — spaces are limited.