European VCs are bullish on 'biomining' tech. Here are five startups to watch
18 Jun 2026
06:00
The green transition runs on critical minerals, and Europe is running short of ways to source them.
A new wave of biotechnology startups is betting that microbes, plants, and engineered proteins can fill the gap – and investors are taking notice.
"There are critical mineral supply gaps that need filling," Nadine Geiser, principal at World Fund, tells Impact Loop.
A new wave of biotechnology startups is betting that microbes, plants, and engineered proteins can fill the gap – and investors are taking notice.
"There are critical mineral supply gaps that need filling," Nadine Geiser, principal at World Fund, tells Impact Loop.
Plants that suck nickel out of the ground. Microbes that dissolve copper from rock. Engineered proteins that pull lithium from industrial wastewater. Across the globe, so-called biomining startups are commercialising techniques to extract critical minerals for use in everything from batteries to solar panels – and investors are taking note.
The mining tech startups have steadily attracted more and more venture capital in recent years, with the sector bringing in $1bn in a single year for the first time in 2024. For biomining specifically, there were a number of breakout rounds in 2025, as early stage startups begin to reach largers Ser...