Hades Mining

What Hades Mining does

Hades Mining GmbH is a Munich-based deep-tech startup founded in 2025 that develops laser-based drilling technology for extracting critical minerals and geothermal energy from deep rock formations in Europe. The company targets enterprise customers in the mining and energy sectors, addressing Europe's near-total dependence on imports of critical raw materials (lithium, cobalt, rare earth elements), primarily from China, where domestic production covers less than 5% of demand. Its core product is the Cerberus fiber laser drilling system, which uses high-power continuous-wave fiber lasers to fracture rock via laser spallation without mechanical contact, bit wear, or surface noise and vibration. Proprietary components include a power delivery system achieving 80%+ power delivery over 10km, a fiber coupling unit, high-damage-threshold optics, and high-pressure fluid channels for debris clearance; the system has demonstrated 200kW laser output and drilling speeds of 45-50 meters per hour through hard rock.

The business model combines two planned revenue streams: critical mineral extraction and sales, and deployment of the Cerberus platform as a managed-service or licensed drilling technology for third-party mining and geothermal projects. Hades pairs the hardware with an in-situ recovery (ISR) extraction methodology that uses fluid circulation to recover minerals from deep rock formations without open-pit excavation, reducing surface disruption. Go-to-market relies on direct enterprise sales to mining and energy companies across Europe, supplemented by a junior partner platform that recruits local entrepreneurs, geologists, and energy partners to lead regional operations, stakeholder engagement, and site development. First commercial site is targeted for 2029, meaning the company is pre-revenue and currently in capital-intensive R&D and permitting build-out. The company has raised €20.5 million cumulatively (€5.5M pre-seed in August 2025 led by Project A, €15M seed in February 2026 co-led by HV Capital and Headline) at a €67.5 million post-money valuation, and plans to grow from 11 to 36 employees by end of 2026.

Name

Hades Mining

Legal name

Hades Mining GmbH

Website

https://hades.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hades Mining GmbH is a Munich-based deep-tech startup developing the Cerberus fiber laser drilling system for extracting critical minerals and geothermal energy from deep rock formations in Europe. The company serves enterprise mining and energy customers and targets first commercial operations by 2029.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mining Technology

NAICS

Support Activities for Metal Mining (213114), Other Metal Ore Mining (21229), Support Activities for Mining (213)

SIC

Mining Machinery & Equip (No Oil & Gas Field Mach & Equip) (3532), Metal Mining (1000)

akta.pro primary industry

Exploration & Production Drilling Services (RC, Core, Directional, Sonic, Auger) (IMAKAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Drilling & Rock Excavation Equipment (Rotary/Top-Hammer, Jumbos, Raiseborers) (IMAKANAC), Mineral Exploration & Geoscience Services (Geology, Geophysics, Geochemistry, Resource Modeling) (IMAKAKAA)

Keywords

• Laser drilling technology
• Critical minerals extraction
• Geothermal energy drilling
• In-situ recovery mining
• Deep subsurface access

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Critical Mineral Extraction & Sales: Revenue generated from extracting and selling critical raw materials (such as lithium, cobalt, rare earth elements) mined in Europe using the company's laser drilling technology. First commercial operations targeted for 2029.
2. Laser Drilling Technology Deployment: Deployment of the Cerberus laser drilling system for mining and geothermal energy projects. The above-ground infrastructure is designed to be fast, modular, and highly mobile for local deep drilling operations.
3. Geothermal Energy Access: Revenue from accessing ultra-deep and stable heat reservoirs beneath the Earth's crust to unlock geothermal energy at a new scale, providing energy abundance and global resilience.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hades Mining develops and deploys the Cerberus fiber laser drilling system, a proprietary above-ground modular platform designed for deep and hard rock subsurface access in mining and geothermal energy applications. The system fractures rock via laser spallation without mechanical contact or bit wear, achieving demonstrated drilling speeds of 45-50 meters per hour through hard rock and 200kW of laser energy output. The company pairs this drilling platform with an In-Situ Recovery (ISR) methodology to extract critical minerals (lithium, cobalt, rare earth elements) and access geothermal energy reservoirs without open-pit excavation.

Product overview

Hades Mining offers a unified product system centered on the Cerberus laser drilling platform for deep subsurface access. The Cerberus system is a fiber laser-based drilling technology consisting of precision-engineered components (power delivery system, fiber coupling unit, high-power optics, and fluid channels) combined with above-ground modular infrastructure (control system, coil tubing, mud system, and laser source). This hardware platform is paired with In-Situ Recovery (ISR) methodology, a low-impact extraction technique that uses fluid circulation to recover critical minerals from deep rock formations. Together, the Cerberus platform and ISR approach enable extraction of critical minerals and geothermal energy without conventional open-pit mining, positioning the technology for Europe's critical raw material independence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cerberus: IPL Cerberus is the company's laser drilling technology system designed to operate in extreme subsurface conditions for faster, more precise access to critical minerals and geothermal energy. The system includes power delivery system (80%+ power delivery over 10km), fiber coupling unit, high power optics, and fluid channels.

Products and services

• Cerberus Industrial fiber laser drilling system designed for deep and hard rock environments in mining and geothermal applications. The system uses high-power continuous-wave fiber lasers to fracture rock via laser spallation without contact or bit wear, with above-ground modular and mobile infrastructure. Features proprietary components including a power delivery system (80%+ power delivery over 10km), fiber coupling unit, high-power optics, and high-pressure fluid channels for material removal. Demonstrated 200kW laser energy output and drilling speeds of 45-50 meters per hour through hard rock.
• In-Situ Recovery (ISR) Extraction Low-impact mineral extraction service that uses fluid circulation to recover critical minerals (such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements) from deep rock formations without open-pit excavation. Combined with the Cerberus laser drilling platform, ISR enables access to ultra-deep mineral deposits and geothermal reservoirs while protecting surface environments.

Quantifiable outcome

• 45-50 meters per hour drilling speed through hard rock
• +4 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Rio TintominorOthersMentioned as an industry reference in a mining technology venture programs overview; not a direct partner of Hades Mining. Rio Tinto collaborates with Founders Factory to support mining tech startups.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• GA Drilling: Slovakia-based deeptech company developing plasma-based drilling technology for deep and hard rock applications in mining and geothermal sectors. Closest direct peer to Hades Mining — both target ultra-deep hard-rock drilling with novel non-mechanical methods to displace conventional drill bits.
• Quaise Energy: US-based deeptech company developing millimeter-wave drilling technology to access ultra-deep geothermal resources. Directly comparable to Hades in targeting deep geothermal drilling via non-mechanical methods, with overlapping customer base in the geothermal energy sector.

Broad incumbents

• Epiroc: Sweden-based global leader in mining and infrastructure equipment, including drilling rigs, rock excavation tools and autonomous solutions. A broad incumbent competing with Hades across the drilling equipment and mining services stack, though focused on conventional mechanical methods.
• Major Drilling Group International: Canada-based drilling services company specializing in mineral exploration and mine-site drilling globally. Comparable as an established drilling services provider in the metals and minerals mining sector, serving similar customers with conventional drilling techniques.
• Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions: Sweden-based division of Sandvik providing drilling equipment, tools and digital solutions for mining and rock excavation. Broad incumbent in mining drilling with decades of installed base; represents the technology stack Hades is seeking to disrupt.
• Boart Longyear: Global provider of drilling services and equipment for the mining industry, with a focus on exploration, production and geotechnical drilling. Comparable as an established drilling services contractor serving similar mining customers, though using conventional mechanical methods.

Emerging players

• KoBold Metals: US-based AI-driven critical minerals exploration and mining company backed by Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos. Comparable as a high-profile deeptech startup targeting the same critical minerals opportunity (lithium, cobalt, nickel) that drives European demand for Hades's drilling platform.
• EnergyX: US-based lithium extraction technology company developing direct lithium extraction (DLE) and other methods. Comparable as a deeptech startup targeting critical minerals (lithium) with novel extraction approaches, addressing a similar end market as Hades's critical minerals strategy.
• Eavor Technologies: Canada-based advanced geothermal energy company developing closed-loop geothermal systems. Comparable as an emerging player in the deep geothermal sector with overlapping customer base and policy alignment, though using a different technological approach than laser drilling.
• Lilac Solutions: US-based lithium extraction technology company using ion-exchange DLE technology. Comparable as an emerging deeptech player in lithium extraction with similar venture backing profile, addressing overlapping critical minerals market demand.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Hades
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hades

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors9 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 Hades Mining