Found Industries, a company that has undergone several transformative phases since its inception four years ago as Found Energy, is embarking on its most strategically significant evolution yet. The enterprise, initially focused on developing high-density aluminum fuel for industrial operations, has announced the launch of Found Metals, a new division dedicated to extracting the critical metal gallium from mineral refineries. This strategic pivot not only leverages the company’s foundational electrochemical expertise but directly addresses a pressing national security imperative stemming from global supply chain vulnerabilities.
The journey began in the modest confines of founder Peter Godart’s MIT basement, where the scrappy startup Found Energy incubated its groundbreaking technology. Godart, an MIT alumnus (B.S. ’15, S.M. ’19, Ph.D. ’21), initially envisioned a world where aluminum, an abundant and energy-dense material, could serve as a powerful fuel source. This early phase, characterized by intense research and development, transitioned into a demonstration phase, where the company diligently worked to productize its innovative technology for transforming aluminum into a viable energy solution. Their core innovation centered on a catalyst-driven reaction of aluminum with water, yielding energy as heat and hydrogen – a process with immense potential for industrial applications and energy distribution.
The Genesis of Innovation: From MIT Basement to Industrial Scale
Peter Godart’s academic and professional journey laid the groundwork for Found Industries’ unique technological advancements. As an undergraduate at MIT, he delved into robotics within the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Following his graduation, Godart’s tenure at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory ignited his fascination with high-density fuels. His work there explored the audacious concept of utilizing materials like aluminum, already common in aerospace construction, as a fuel source for extraterrestrial missions.
"I had this crazy idea that you could use aluminum, which is already a common construction material for aerospace, as a fuel on other planets," Godart recounts, reflecting on his early inspirations. He observed that a significant portion of a spacecraft’s aluminum structure becomes redundant upon landing. Given aluminum’s impressive energy density – approximately 40 times greater than lithium-ion batteries – he theorized that, in the presence of an oxidizer like water (plentiful on icy moons, for instance), aluminum could react to release substantial energy in the form of heat and hydrogen.
Back on Earth, Godart recognized the more immediate applications of this concept. "If we want to think about moving humanity to other planets, we have some problems to solve here first," he stated, highlighting the impetus for his return to MIT in 2017. Under the guidance of Professor Douglas Hart in mechanical engineering, he refined his research, focusing on adapting aluminum as an energy fuel for terrestrial use. This collaboration led to the development of a process for coating aluminum with a gallium-containing alloy. This alloy acts as a catalyst, enabling aluminum scraps to react rapidly with water, generating power densities orders of magnitude higher than previously achieved. By the completion of his Ph.D. in 2021, Godart and his team had engineered a system capable of continuously producing kilowatt-scale electricity through a hydrogen fuel cell, utilizing this catalyzed aluminum fuel.
Found Energy was officially launched in 2022, securing licenses for its research from MIT’s Technology License Office and benefiting from the support of MIT’s Venture Mentoring Service. The company also received an Activate fellowship, propelling its growth. Quickly outgrowing Godart’s basement, Found Energy established its current 20,000-square-foot facility in Charlestown, Massachusetts, scaling up its operations to develop what Godart calls the "engine" for their fuel: the catalyzed aluminum water reactor. This system feeds treated aluminum and water to produce a steam-hydrogen gas mixture, or "power stream," which can cogenerate industrial heat and electricity. A significant aspect of their long-term vision is the recycling of the hydrated aluminum oxide byproduct back into aluminum, fostering a circular economy.
The Unforeseen Catalyst: Supply Chain Vulnerability and a Strategic Pivot
As Found Energy progressed, Godart and his team encountered an increasingly critical challenge: their reliance on foreign, predominantly Chinese, supply chains for the gallium-containing catalyst material essential to their aluminum fuel reactors. This dependency became a stark vulnerability, especially as geopolitical tensions began to highlight the fragility of global critical mineral supplies.
Gallium, a soft, silvery metal, is far from a household name but underpins numerous advanced technologies vital to modern economies and national security. It is a critical component in the defense, semiconductor, and energy sectors. Its unique properties, such as a low melting point and high boiling point, along with its excellent electrical conductivity, make it indispensable for applications like gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductors, which are crucial for 5G technology, electric vehicles, and efficient power conversion. Gallium arsenide (GaAs) is also used in high-frequency circuits, LEDs, and solar cells. In defense, gallium plays a pivotal role in advanced radar systems, missile guidance, and electronic warfare.
The global supply chain for gallium presents a stark picture of concentration risk. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in 2023 and 2024, China produced an astonishing 99 percent of the world’s primary gallium supply. This near-monopoly grants China significant leverage, a fact it has actively exploited through export controls. This market dominance creates an existential risk for any industry reliant on gallium, including Found Industries.
Recognizing this looming threat to its core business, Found Industries proactively developed its own electrochemical gallium extraction technology for internal use. This foresight proved prescient. Towards the end of 2024, China escalated its critical mineral strategy by implementing export restrictions on gallium and germanium, among other metals. This move sent shockwaves through global tech and defense industries, underscoring the urgency of diversifying supply chains.
"Gallium is the world’s most critical metal, as it’s 99 percent controlled by China," Godart emphasized. "When you produce 99 percent of something, you also produce 99 percent of the tools required to extract it. We couldn’t get our hands on some of those tools, so we were forced to come up with a new technology. Now we believe we can deploy this at scale to become one the first major Western suppliers of these metals." The export controls confirmed the strategic value of Found Industries’ independently developed extraction technology. "We realized we had already developed a technique for producing these restricted metals that could be very quickly adapted," Godart noted, highlighting the swift pivot capability.
Found Metals Emerges: A Strategic Pivot for National Security
The launch of Found Metals marks a pivotal moment for the company and potentially for the broader landscape of critical mineral supply in the West. This new division is poised to extract gallium and a host of other important metals, including indium and germanium, from mineral refineries, specifically from Bayer liquor—a process stream generated during aluminum production. Traditional methods for gallium extraction often depend on foreign-controlled organic chemicals or resins for binding and concentrating the metal. Found Metals, however, employs a continuous electrochemical process that directly recovers gallium from Bayer liquor and other industrial feedstocks, even at low concentrations. This innovative approach offers a more efficient and less supply-chain-dependent method for critical metal recovery.
The significance of this development has not gone unnoticed by governmental bodies. On April 14, 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation selected Found Industries as a recipient in its $5.4 million program aimed at recovering gallium from domestic feedstocks. This federal backing underscores the strategic importance of Found Metals’ mission. The company plans to commence gallium extraction, alongside other critical metals, by the end of 2027.
The Geopolitical Landscape of Critical Minerals and US Response
The broader context for Found Metals’ emergence is the escalating geopolitical competition for critical minerals. Nations worldwide are grappling with the concentration of mineral processing and supply chains in a handful of countries, primarily China. This dependence creates significant economic and national security risks, as demonstrated by China’s use of export controls as a strategic lever. The U.S. government, through initiatives like the Inflation Reduction Act and various Department of Energy programs, has prioritized reshoring and diversifying critical mineral supply chains. The goal is to reduce reliance on adversarial nations, secure essential materials for domestic industries (particularly defense, high-tech manufacturing, and renewable energy), and foster economic resilience.
Gallium is a prime example of this vulnerability. With an estimated global market size in the hundreds of millions of dollars annually, its strategic value far outweighs its market volume. The U.S. defense industrial base, its burgeoning semiconductor industry, and its ambitious clean energy transition plans all require a secure and reliable supply of gallium. Found Metals’ technology offers a tangible pathway to achieving greater domestic self-sufficiency in this crucial area. By developing a domestic supply, Found Industries is directly contributing to strengthening the U.S. industrial base and reducing its exposure to geopolitical risks.
A Dual Path to Resilience: Found Energy and Found Metals
Despite the significant pivot into critical metals, Found Industries remains steadfast in its commitment to its original aluminum fuel operations, now consolidated under the Found Energy division. The company is actively running a 100-kilowatt-class aluminum fuel demonstration system in Charlestown and is preparing for industrial pilot deployments next year, with orders from several large public companies already in the pipeline.
Peter Godart envisions an expansive future for the fuel technology. "For our fuel technology, the vision is to go as big as possible," he articulated. "We envision major power plants. Aluminum refineries today, for example, consume hundreds of megawatts of continuous thermal power. That’s what we aim to deliver." The long-term objective includes the full recycling of the aluminum oxide byproduct, creating a truly circular and sustainable energy solution.
However, Godart acknowledges the immediate imperative of the critical metals division. He currently dedicates most of his time to gallium extraction, underscoring the urgency and strategic importance of this new venture. This dual approach is not merely a diversification strategy; it is a synergistic one. By focusing on metals extraction, Found Industries is vertically integrating its own supply chain. "We’re also making these metals for ourselves, so we’re vertically integrating our own supply chain, which is table stakes now for companies that deal in physical goods. You need to be able to control your inputs," Godart explained. This control over critical inputs directly improves the likelihood of success for the aluminum fuel business by securing its catalyst supply.
Economic and Environmental Impact
The establishment of Found Metals carries significant economic and environmental implications. Domestically produced critical metals will create high-tech manufacturing jobs, foster technological expertise within the United States, and reduce the economic vulnerability associated with volatile global supply chains. Furthermore, Found’s electrochemical process for extracting gallium from industrial waste streams like Bayer liquor represents a more sustainable approach compared to traditional mining. By recovering valuable metals from existing industrial processes, it reduces the need for new mining operations, minimizes waste, and promotes circular economy principles. This focus on resource efficiency aligns with broader environmental sustainability goals.
Conclusion: Charting a Course for Domestic Self-Sufficiency
Found Industries’ evolution from an innovative energy startup to a dual-focused entity tackling both advanced fuels and critical mineral supply chain security exemplifies a dynamic response to global challenges. The launch of Found Metals, backed by the Department of Energy, is more than just a business expansion; it is a strategic maneuver that positions the company at the forefront of efforts to bolster U.S. national security and economic resilience. By leveraging its technological prowess to address the acute vulnerability in gallium supply, Found Industries is not only safeguarding its own future but also contributing to a more secure, self-sufficient, and technologically advanced America. This integrated approach, simultaneously advancing sustainable energy solutions and securing vital material resources, sets a compelling precedent for industrial innovation in an increasingly interconnected and complex world.
