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§ Private Profile · Newark, DE, USA
Still Bright is a technology company.
Still Bright develops electrochemical technology for localized copper extraction, replacing traditional smelting. Its patented RACER process converts concentrated ore to refined copper with 90-99% recovery within 60 minutes. This closed-loop system handles diverse feedstocks, minimizes environmental impact, and enriches critical metal sulfides.
Co-founded in 2022 by CEO Randy Allen (PhD, MBA) and CTO Jon Vardner (PhD), Still Bright addresses the looming global copper deficit. Their expertise tackles environmental challenges and limitations of conventional refining, driving a cleaner, faster, and domestically viable extraction solution.
Still Bright targets the global mining sector, focusing on complex operations or those exporting raw materials. The company's vision is to secure copper supply for modern technologies like electronics, sustainable energy, and AI. By enabling responsible domestic production, Still Bright aims to meet accelerating demand and foster a resilient future.
Still Bright has raised $19.0M across 1 funding round.
Still Bright has raised $19.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Still Bright is a New Jersey-based technology startup founded in 2022 that develops RACER (rapid and complete electrochemical reduction) technology for hydrometallurgical copper extraction, replacing traditional smelting to enable domestic U.S. production from challenging feedstocks like "dirty" copper concentrates and mine waste.[1][2][3][4] The company serves mining operations by solving the problem of costly, polluting smelting that outsources refining abroad, offering faster extraction (in minutes), higher recovery rates, lower costs, and reduced environmental impact while unlocking previously uneconomic resources.[2][3][4] With $18.7 million in seed funding raised in 2025 from investors like Material Impact, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Apollo Ventures, Fortescue, Impact Science Ventures, and SOSV, Still Bright shows strong growth momentum: operating a 2-ton-per-year pilot, planning 2026 pilot projects, a 500-ton demonstration unit by 2027-2028, and scaling to 10,000-ton commercial systems.[1][3]
Still Bright emerged from Columbia University research, spun out in 2022 via an Activate fellowship awarded to CTO and co-founder Jon Vardner, PhD.[1][3] The core team includes chemical engineering experts: Jon Vardner (PhD from Columbia, NSF Graduate Research Fellow, co-inventor of the copper process); Scott Banta (20+ years at Columbia in hydrometallurgy, biology, and engineering, second-time founder with a prior mining waste venture); and Alan West (renowned electrochemistry expert, focused on mining applications with DOE support, prior co-founder with Banta).[1] Their idea stemmed from postdoctoral work applying electrochemistry—key to RACER's reagent regeneration—to sustainable copper extraction, addressing smelting's toxins and U.S. dependency on foreign refining; early traction includes the Activate fellowship and recent seed funding amid surging copper demand.[1][2][3]
Still Bright rides the explosive copper demand trend—doubling global needs for AI, electrification, and energy transition—while U.S. raw materials sit idle due to smelting's export reliance and permitting hurdles.[2][3] Timing is ideal with 2025 seed funding, 2026 pilots aligning with potential import tariffs, and geopolitical supply chain risks favoring domestic revival of U.S. copper superpower status.[3][4] Market forces like skyrocketing prices and "dirty" resource stockpiles play to RACER's strengths, unlocking untapped production and reducing transport emissions; it influences the ecosystem by enabling climate-tech metals supply, powering batteries/AI hardware, and setting a model for electrochemical mining innovations.[2][3][6]
Still Bright is poised to disrupt copper production as one of the cheapest, greenest providers, with 2026 pilots proving commercial viability and rapid scale-up to thousands of tons amid unrelenting demand.[3][4] Trends like U.S. onshoring, tariffs, and energy/AI booms will accelerate adoption, potentially evolving its influence from startup to key domestic supplier and hydrometallurgy pioneer. This electrochemical edge not only revives U.S. copper history but ensures the raw materials for a bright tech-powered future.[2][3]
Still Bright has raised $19.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $19.0M Seed in July 2025.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 2025 | $19M Seed | Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Material Impact | SOSV, Zacua Ventures, Apollo Health Ventures, Fortescue, Impact Science Ventures | Announced |
Still Bright has raised $19.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Still Bright's investors include Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Material Impact, SOSV, Zacua Ventures, Apollo Health Ventures, Fortescue, Impact Science Ventures.