Supra Elemental Recovery, a startup that spun out of engineering and natural sciences labs at The University of Texas at Austin, has launched with a $250,000 investment from Discovery to Impact’s UT Seed Fund as part of its pre-seed funding round.
The company plans to commercialize a proprietary technology designed to recover critical minerals at high purity from domestic waste sources, including mine tailings, industrial byproducts, and electronic waste.
The startup is focused on helping meet growing demand for minerals such as cobalt, lithium, gallium and scandium, which are difficult to refine and are used in manufacturing semiconductors, batteries, magnets and consumer electronics. By extracting these materials from U.S. waste streams, the company is positioning its approach as a way to strengthen domestic supply chains and reduce reliance on foreign markets for rare earth elements and other critical minerals.
Supra’s technology centers on a reusable, 3D-printed, porous cartridge that functions like a sponge and filters materials at the molecular level using simple solvents such as alcohol and water. The company says the platform combines key benefits of solvent extraction and ion exchange into a modular system that can be customized and scaled for U.S.-based manufacturers, mines and industry partners seeking to recover or source high-grade critical minerals.
The university inventors behind the technology include Zachariah Page, Michael Cullinan and Jonathan Sessler. Their work aims to address shortcomings of many current extraction methods, which can struggle to achieve high purity and separation across different minerals, often requiring significant machinery, higher costs, and producing toxic chemicals.
Discovery to Impact, UT Austin’s commercialization organization, said Supra is the latest in a growing list of startups emerging from the university’s research enterprise. The group has supported more than 100 spinouts, including 12 formed in 2025, through startup formation, industry collaborations and technology licensing.
KEY QUOTES
“Supra has the potential to reshape how the U.S. sources key materials essential for the high-tech, aerospace and defense industries. Their work exemplifies the innovation taking place at UT when you have the brightest minds across disciplines collaboratively working together to solve real-world problems.”
Mark Arnold, Associate Vice President For Discovery To Impact And Managing Director Of Longhorn Ventures
“America’s ability to compete in advanced manufacturing depends on securing its supply of critical minerals. We’re ushering in a new era where we can profitably recover these elements from a wide range of domestic sources to restore America’s resource dominance.”
Katie Ullmann Durham, Co-Founder And CEO Of Supra
