What if AI could find billion-dollar critical mineral deposits hiding in forgotten geological data?
Atana combines oil-and-gas geology, proprietary datasets, and AI to discover and de-risk lithium and other critical mineral resources faster.
Company bio:
Atana uses AI, data science, and subsurface expertise to discover and de-risk overlooked critical mineral deposits. The company has secured 1.5 million acres of mineral rights and is initially focused on lithium, with plans to expand into other critical minerals.
Guest bio:
Tom Wilson is CEO of Atana and previously helped scale direct lithium extraction company Lilac Solutions through its Series C. His background spans oil and gas, geology, critical minerals, technology, and project development.
Seven things you’ll learn in this episode:
- Borrow from adjacent industries. Proven oil-and-gas tools can transform mining.
- Proprietary data can be the real AI moat. Models improve quickly; unique datasets are harder to replicate.
- Look for stranded assets. New technology can make overlooked resources valuable.
- Own the upside. Atana secures mineral rights instead of merely selling technology.
- De-risk, then sell. Match each project stage with the right cost of capital.
- Make good decisions quickly. Speed often beats waiting for perfection.
- Do 10% more. Small extra efforts compound across work and life.
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Listen to similar Climate CEOs podcast episodes:
→ Critical Minerals: $20M for AI-Driven Mining in Nickel, Lithium & Silver Discoveries | Earth AI https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/critical-minerals-%2420m-for-ai-driven-mining-in-nickel/id1561411048?i=1000703979931
→ Lithium Extraction: 40% Lower Costs with Electrochemistry | Lithios: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-new-way-to-extract-lithium-from-americas-hardest/id1561411048?i=1000754012245
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