Meet the Next Generation of Innovators
Five Emerging Companies Participate in the Second Annual Mining Solutions Bootcamp
Telluride was founded on innovation and entrepreneurship: from Nicolas Tesla’s first AC power transmission to electrify the mines to the creation of a world-class economy of recreation and the arts. MSI, Telluride Venture Network (TVN), and Newmont have partnered with five emerging companies for the second annual Mining Solutions Bootcamp to help accelerate the development of new solutions to address old problems, and to support the next generation of pathbreaking innovation for sustainable mining. Phoenix Tailings (Woburn, MA), Copperstone Technologies (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), Intersphere (Fort Collins, CO), GenoMines (Paris, France), and AVIVID Water Technology (Longmont, CO) are the five companies who have joined this year's Bootcamp and will present at this year’s San Juan Mining & Reclamation Conference.
When we caught up with the founders of these companies, it became clear that a major focus is finding the perfect harmony between modern technology and environmental stewardship. Ben Toms, founder of Intersphere, looks for the “win-win” scenarios for mining companies and the environment, “since so many modern conveniences (including renewable energy) rely on the future of mining.” Using a combination of AI technology and scientific expertise, Intersphere provides seamless weather and climate forecasts from the next minute through the next decades to help mining operations prepare for impactful weather conditions. According to Toms, “People are working to ensure mining is sustainable for both the profits of mining companies and the environment, and that’s a trend all of society will benefit from.”
Craig Milne, of Copperstone Technologies, finds inspiration in the application of new technologies to make human labor easier- and safer. “We believe robots can enable humans to reach further, tread lighter, and stay safer. Drones and AI are making mining safer and more efficient in many contexts. At Copperstone, we have developed a unique propulsion system that permits unprecedented access to tailings, enabling advanced geo-data collection. We’re inspired by the Mars robots and the concepts of AI-driven management of the dull, dirty and dangerous places on Earth.” Copperstone Technologies, based out of Alberta, Canada, uses that belief to further drive their innovation of using robotic services to investigate hazardous sites.
Meanwhile, Avivid Water Technology focuses on using modern technology to improve the current state of one of the earth’s most precious resources. Using patented electrocoagulation process, Avivid works to treat waters contaminated with emulsified oils, heavy metals, arsenic, suspended solids, and microorganisms without sludge buildup. Tracy Kessner, founder of Avivid, wants to see companies moving towards zero waste and/or zero discharge and turning waste materials into a value-add product. Kessner says that is a “triple win for the company, the environment, and local communities. Water is becoming too scarce to consider contaminated water a waste product for disposal. Reclaiming wastewater for reuse or release, reducing waste material created as part of the wastewater treatment process, and then mining that waste material for valuable metals and minerals is what Avivid's TurboCoag® is developed to do.”
The innovations generated by these participating companies are clearly finding modern solutions to old problems, ranging from harvesting metals and raw materials recycled from mining waste with zero direct carbon emissions (Phoenix Tailings); robotic services for hazardous site investigations that keep people out of harm’s way at contaminated sites (Copperstone Technologies); genetically enhancing metal hyperaccumulator plants to produce bio-sourced metals and limit the environmental impact on mining sites (GenoMines); and advancing water purification using patented electrocoagulation process to treat contaminated waters without sludge buildup (AVIVID).
The Mining Solutions Bootcamp brings together business start-ups addressing issues in the reclamation, mining, and clean water industries to participate in high-impact mentoring, strategic coaching, and networking with industry experts and investors. The partnership aims to support companies addressing all parts of reclamation, water treatment, monitoring, remote sensing and communication, and economic cost recovery through secondary products, recovery of metals, and/or repurpose of byproducts. This year’s Bootcamp is a hybrid of virtual and in-person instruction, discussion, and networking, culminating in participants “pitching” their products (and participating in) the Annual San Juan Mining & Reclamation Conference taking place in Telluride, CO. The hybrid model has enabled participation from companies as far away as Canada and France.
