The intensifying global demand for critical minerals, coupled with a strategic imperative to bolster domestic supply chains, is catalyzing innovative metals processing solutions. Valor, a new U.S.-based company founded by Kunal Sinha, a former Glencore executive, aims to revolutionize the refining of essential metals like copper, significantly reducing cost and time, and addressing a key bottleneck in Western industrial capacity.
Valor’s core innovation is a proprietary hydrometallurgical technology developed at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This method employs specialized ligands—molecules that selectively bind with target metals within a solution, facilitated by an electric current. In theory, this precise extraction offers substantial advantages: it could be at least ten times faster and more cost-effective than conventional processing, applicable to diverse sources including hard rock mines, recycled batteries, and deep-sea nodules, while minimizing waste. Larger-scale testing is essential for validation.
This venture addresses heightened pressure from Washington and other governments for more robust, localized processing options. The United States currently processes a negligible amount of critical minerals, with China dominating many sectors globally. Valor’s approach seeks to mitigate this strategic vulnerability, enhancing supply chain resilience for industries dependent on these materials, from advanced AI and defense systems to general electronics manufacturing.
Kunal Sinha launched Valor driven by his conviction that improving Western mineral processing offers significant value. He departed Glencore after nearly 14 years to pursue this entrepreneurial endeavor. Valor is now fundraising for a demonstration plant, slated for Massachusetts or New York. The company projects full commercial production for at least five metals within two to three years.
Michael Carter holds a BA in Economics from the University of Chicago and is a CFA charterholder. With over a decade of experience at top financial publications, he specializes in equity markets, mergers & acquisitions, and macroeconomic trends, delivering clear, data-driven insights that help readers navigate complex market movements.