Chilean startup accelerator Aster and BHP’s Minera Escondida are seeking startups with disruptive solutions – software, hardware or other systems – that can help strengthen competitiveness, efficiency and sustainability in the local mining industry.
“We are looking for six startups that contribute and have an impact on mining and related industries such as renewable energy, water resources, logistics and industrial transport,” Catalina Anguita, portfolio manager at Aster, told BNamericas.
Angita stressed the mining company’s openness to testing solutions in “some of the highest impact priority areas” such as safety, productivity and sustainability.
Proposals can be submitted here until July 5th.
The selected companies will take part in a four-month growth programme and will receive advice from BHP professionals and experts across a range of sectors.
This is the sixth public offering led by Aster and includes a $150,000 funding option from an equity fund facilitated by BHP and managed by ChileGlobal Ventures, the innovation arm of Fundación Chile.
At the end of the program, startups will have the opportunity to take part in a demonstration day to present their projects, opt for funding of up to $50,000 and enter into commercial partnerships to enhance their development, Aster said in a statement.
Based in Antofagasta, Aster has backed 56 startups worth $61 million to date, 48% of which are from the Antofagasta region.
The approach is in line with the goal of establishing the North as an innovation hub, an effort supported by the regional government, development agency Corfo and the Catholic University of the North.
