General Partner Alex Hoffmann and Analyst Joseph Iwasyk at Forbion BioEconomy are co-authors of the white paper "Beyond the drill: How biology is reshaping the mining industry," published in collaboration with Bidra Innovation Ventures, Nucleus Capital, and World Fund.
The paper examines how biological systems, including engineered microorganisms, hyperaccumulator plants, and protein-based sorbents, are opening new pathways for critical mineral extraction at a time when conventional mining faces declining ore grades, rising costs, and lengthening permitting timelines. By 2035, up to 20% of required critical mineral supply has not yet been identified. Rather than competing with incumbent extraction methods, biomining targets resources that conventional approaches cannot access economically: low-grade deposits, legacy tailings, and shallow soils unsuitable for excavation. The paper maps the full biological toolkit, assesses the emerging startup landscape across technology type and commercial maturity, and outlines what will be required to move from laboratory validation to field deployment at scale.
Click here to download and read the full white paper.