What ALKEMIO does

ALKEMIO is an Argentinian deep-tech startup, founded in 2023 and headquartered in Buenos Aires, that is developing modular, organic-based refining technology for rare earth elements (REEs). The company targets the structural bottleneck in the global REE supply chain, where over 90% of refining capacity is concentrated in a single country. Its platform uses proprietary organic chemistry-based separation rather than conventional chemical-intensive hydrometallurgical processes, enabling containerized, on-site deployment at mine sites with company-stated claims of up to 80% reduction in capital expenditure, over 70% reduction in emissions, and facilities approximately 200x smaller than conventional refining infrastructure.

The company's product offering centers on a single modular refining system designed for high-purity separation of rare earth elements, including magnet-grade inputs such as neodymium and dysprosium used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, semiconductors, defense systems, and robotics. The platform is positioned as input-agnostic, accepting any rare earth feedstock and adapting to different ore chemistries. ALKEMIO is currently pre-revenue and at the pre-seed pilot stage, scaling a lab prototype into a 100-kilogram commercial pilot in the United States, with pilots and letters of intent signed with mining operators across Latin America, the United States, and Canada.

ALKEMIO operates a hardware-based enterprise sales motion, selling or licensing modular refining units directly to mining companies under bespoke project-based contracts. The company has raised approximately $2.4 million across multiple funding events, including a $2 million pre-seed round in March 2026 led by a syndicate including Dalus Capital, VU Venture Partners, Amplifica Capital, VX Ventures, and Epic Angels, plus prior SkyDeck and GRID EXPONENTIAL rounds. The team of approximately 12 is led by a PhD-heavy technical group with prior Amazon R&D experience and a prior biotech exit to Amazon (CASPR Biotech, 2020), supported by senior roles in process scale-up, engineering, and institutional relationships. Revenue generation has not yet commenced, with the current focus on validating technology at commercial pilot scale and converting LOIs into paying commercial contracts.

Name

ALKEMIO

Legal name

Alkemio Technologies

Website

https://alkemio.tech

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ALKEMIO is an Argentinian deep-tech startup developing modular, organic-based rare earth element refining systems for on-site deployment at mine sites, targeting mining operators in Latin America, the United States, and Canada. Currently pre-revenue and scaling a 100-kilogram commercial pilot in the US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rare Earth Refining Technology

NAICS

Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Smelting and Refining (33141)

SIC

Secondary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3341)

akta.pro primary industry

Rare Earths Separation & Refining (Oxides/Metals) (IMAKAFAH)

Keywords

• Rare earth refining
• Modular refining technology
• Critical minerals separation
• Hydrometallurgy processing
• Mining technology solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Buenos Aires

HQ country

Argentina

HQ region

Latin America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Pre-revenue / Pilot stage with LOIs: Company is pre-revenue at the time of pre-seed funding, currently scaling a lab prototype into a 100-kilogram commercial pilot in the United States. Revenue model inferred to be project-based sales or licensing of modular refining units and related services to mining operators, with pilots and letters of intent signed with mining companies in Latin America, the US, and Canada. No explicit pricing or recurring revenue structure is publicly disclosed.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Alkemio develops and sells a modular, organic-based rare earth element (REE) refining and high-purity separation platform designed for on-site deployment at mine sites. The containerized system replaces conventional chemical-intensive hydrometallurgical refining with proprietary organic separation chemistry, targeting up to 80% capital expenditure reduction, facilities approximately 200x smaller than conventional plants, and over 70% emissions reduction. The input-agnostic platform produces high-purity separated rare earths (e.g., neodymium, dysprosium) for downstream use in EVs, wind turbines, semiconductors, and defense systems.

Product overview

ALKEMIO offers a single unified product: the Alkemio Modular Rare Earth Refining Platform. Rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture, ALKEMIO's offering is a cohesive modular refining system designed to deliver high-purity separation of all 17 Rare Earth Elements from any input source. The platform is positioned as an input-agnostic, on-site alternative to the highly concentrated and chemical-intensive rare earth refining capacity that currently resides in a single country, addressing a $36 billion global rare earths market expected by 2035.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Alkemio Modular Rare Earth Refining Platform Containerized, on-site modular refining system for the separation and purification of all 17 rare earth elements. Uses proprietary organic-based separation chemistry instead of conventional chemical-intensive hydrometallurgy. Designed for direct deployment at mine sites to bypass offshore concentrate shipping and produce high-purity, magnet-grade rare earths (e.g., neodymium, dysprosium) for EVs, wind turbines, semiconductors, defense, robotics, and small electronics.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 80% CAPEX reduction vs. conventional refining
• +4 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship accelerator, supporting accelerator, strategic consortium membership, industry association membership, supporting ecosystem partner, minor sustainability challenge partner and minor visibility partner.

• UC Berkeley SkyDeckflagship acceleratorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSelected to join Batch 18 of UC Berkeley's SkyDeck accelerator program (2024). Provides acceleration, mentorship, and access to Silicon Valley network for Alkemio's US scaling.
• MassChallengesupporting acceleratorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMassChallenge is referenced as a 'Trusted By' partner on the Alkemio website, indicating participation in their global startup accelerator network.
• CREATE Consortium for Rare Earth Technologiesstrategic consortium membershipStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a Trusted By partner on the Alkemio website. Consortium focused on advancing rare earth technologies — relevant to Alkemio's downstream ecosystem positioning.
• Global REIA (Rare Earth Industry Association)industry association membershipStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a Trusted By partner on the Alkemio website. Global industry association for rare earths; provides ecosystem visibility and policy engagement.
• Engineering for Changesupporting ecosystem partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a Trusted By partner on the Alkemio website. Engineering-for-impact community organization aligned with social-impact positioning of Alkemio's modular refining technology.
• Logitech (Future Positive Challenge)minor sustainability challenge partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerSelected as a finalist of the Logitech Future Positive Challenge (2025) and participated in a workshop with Logitech experts and executives. Provides sustainability-program visibility rather than commercial integration.
• Gridexponential (Energy Tech Challengers)minor visibility partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerSpotlighted on the Energy Tech Challengers platform (2023) which spotlights startups at the forefront of the energy sector. Provides earned-media visibility in the energy/startup ecosystem.
• JuniperZero.orgsupporting ecosystem partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a Trusted By partner on the Alkemio website. Ecosystem/community organization aligned with sustainability positioning.
• Catalist Initiativesupporting ecosystem partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a Trusted By partner on the Alkemio website. Sustainability/cleantech community organization.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Phoenix Tailings: US-based producer of rare earth metals and alloys using proprietary clean chemistry, explicitly targeting low-emission, domestic supply chains. Closely comparable to Alkemio's organic-chemistry, modular refining thesis and similar ESG-driven positioning for magnet-grade rare earths.
• Cyclic Materials: Canada-based rare earth recycling company using hydrometallurgy to recover magnet-grade rare earths from end-of-life products. Operates in the same REE separation/refining category as Alkemio with overlapping geography and customer base (mining operators and magnet supply chain).

Broad incumbents

• MP Materials: Largest US rare earth producer, operating an integrated mine-to-magnet supply chain. Represents the scale incumbent Alkemio is positioning against; MP Materials is the benchmark for 'Western' REE refining capacity and a likely customer or competitor depending on Alkemio's deployment model.
• Lynas Rare Earths: Australia-based, largest non-China rare earth producer with integrated mining and separation. Sets the global benchmark for non-Chinese REE refining economics and is the incumbent that any Western alternative — including Alkemio — must compete against on cost and purity.
• Energy Fuels: US-based uranium and critical minerals producer that has expanded into rare earth processing at its White Mesa Mill. Provides a comparable Western-based, multi-mineral processing platform and a potential customer/competitor for Alkemio's modular technology.
• IperionX: US-based critical minerals company focused on titanium and rare earths with proprietary low-carbon processing technologies. Comparable as a US-headquartered, ESG-anchored alternative critical-materials processor.
• Noveon Magnetics: US-based manufacturer of sintered neo magnets using recycled and domestic rare earth inputs. Represents a downstream offtake pathway for Alkemio's magnet-grade REE output and a comparable US-based critical-minerals scaling story.

Emerging players

• USA Rare Earth: US-based integrated rare earth mining and processing company developing domestic sintered magnet supply. Comparable to Alkemio as a Western REE supply-chain builder targeting similar magnet-grade end markets.
• Mkango Resources: Canada-listed rare earth developer with a focus on sustainable processing and downstream magnet supply through its HyProMag recycling subsidiary. Overlaps with Alkemio in the recycled/sustainable REE separation space.
• Peak Resources: Australia-listed developer of the Ngualla rare earth project in Tanzania, with downstream processing ambitions. Relevant as a peer mining/refining developer that could be a customer or competitor for Alkemio's modular refining platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alkemio-technologies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors8 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ALKEMIO