Giraffe Bio Raises $6.4 Million to Improve Copper Recovery

Giraffe Bio has raised $6.4 million in seed funding to develop mine-specific biomolecules that can improve copper recovery as demand for the metal rises across data centers and electrification projects.

Orion Industrial Ventures led the financing, joined by BHP Ventures, Twynam, Air Capital and Baruch Future Ventures. Giraffe Bio is initially focused on copper but says the same platform can be adapted for gold and silver.

The startup grows engineered microbes in bioreactors to produce compounds tailored to the mineral content of a specific mine. Those compounds are then added to existing flotation processes, where chemicals separate valuable minerals from waste in water.

Giraffe Bio co-founder and CEO Alejandro Buffo Sempé said the company’s approach avoids the difficulty of keeping microbes alive in mining environments while preserving their biological capabilities.

The company says its compounds can help mines recover up to 5% more copper. Most operators would consider an additional 1% to 2% meaningful, Buffo Sempé said.

Giraffe Bio is also developing depressors, chemicals that bind to unwanted materials such as arsenic and help separate them from desirable minerals. The company says its biomolecules could replace some more harmful chemicals used in flotation.

The startup’s broader platform is designed to target specific minerals rather than rely on a single general-purpose formula. The platform is designed to be adapted for minerals beyond copper, including gold and silver.