ChemFinity Technologies, a leader in high-performance recovery systems for critical minerals, has recently announced the successful completion of an oversubscribed Seed funding round, raising $7 million. This funding round was co-led by At One Ventures and Overture Ventures, with significant participation from Closed Loop Ventures Group, Pace Ventures, WovenEarth Ventures, and Climate Capital.
The current landscape for critical minerals in the United States presents a pressing challenge, as more than 80% of these essential minerals—vital to several key industries, including defense, manufacturing, and renewable energy—are imported. This reliance on foreign sources coincides with soaring demand for these minerals, exacerbated by decreasing ore quality, rising processing costs linked to primary mineral sourcing, and increasingly stringent environmental regulations.
ChemFinity’s refining systems directly address these challenges by offering efficient, cost-effective, and modular recovery processes that can be customized for a variety of domestic feedstocks. This adaptability not only ensures low operational costs but also results in the recovery of high-purity metals that meet industry standards.
ChemFinity Technologies originated from extensive research conducted in Professor Jeffrey Long’s laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley. The company has developed advanced sorbents that achieve record-breaking recovery efficiencies and demonstrate exceptional durability under hydrometallurgical conditions. These sorbents are meticulously engineered with atomically tunable pore structures that facilitate precise separations.
As a result, they have been validated for the selective capture of target metals from low-grade, highly complex mixtures. This capability allows ChemFinity to recover a diverse array of critical minerals, including platinum-group metals, rare earth elements, and base metals such as copper, alongside emerging contaminants like PFAS, commonly referred to as “forever chemicals.”
To further support its growth and expansion, ChemFinity has received support from the Breakthrough Energy Fellows program and has been awarded non-dilutive grants from over 10 U.S. government agencies. Remarkably, the company has successfully scaled its innovative technology by a factor of 1,000, progressing from laboratory experiments in beakers to pilot reactors that are ready for real-world applications. ChemFinity is actively collaborating with leading recyclers and refiners, working on projects that aim to produce high-purity metals from various domestic waste streams.
These efforts include extracting valuable resources from sources such as discarded catalytic converters, mining feedstocks, decommissioned solar panels, and contaminated wastewater, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable and circular economy in the critical minerals sector.
How the funding will be used: The funding will enable ChemFinity to expedite its piloting efforts and scale the deployment of its groundbreaking sorbent-based technology. This technology is uniquely designed to selectively recover over 20 targeted minerals from complex waste streams at a fraction of the cost typically associated with mineral recovery processes.
KEY QUOTES:
“In a world increasingly dependent on critical minerals, the ability to extract and refine them domestically, cleanly, and affordably is paramount. Our platform addresses one of the most difficult bottlenecks in both national security and the energy transition: reliable, local access to high-purity critical minerals, all while dramatically lowering the cost and environmental footprint of recovery.”
Dr. Adam Uliana, Co-founder and CEO of ChemFinity Technologies
“With support from this Seed round, we’re scaling production, expanding our team, and deploying pilot systems to recover high-value metals that would otherwise be lost. Our systems are designed to integrate readily into existing infrastructure, and we look forward to expanding deployment with other industrial leaders who share our mission of onshoring a circular minerals supply chain.”
Dr. Ever Velasquez, Co-founder and CTO
“With their high selectivity and fast reaction kinetics, ChemFinity’s engineered sorbents extract critical metals orders of magnitude faster than conventional methods, achieving market-grade purity with minimal energy and water use. This can unlock exciting new value streams and is a true step-change in metal circularity.”
Helen Lin, Partner at At One Ventures
“ChemFinity re-enables domestic refining of metals critical to the national interest. Their process features a dramatically smaller chemical and energetic footprint than global incumbents, resulting in superior economics.”
Allison Hinckley, Senior Principal at Overture Ventures
