AI moves beyond the cloud and targets the subsurface: Lithosquare raises €22 million in seed funding

Critical metals: the blind spot of the energy transition

The electrification of uses, the rise of data centers, and the industrialization of artificial intelligence all rely on a growing demand for raw materials. Lithium, copper, nickel: these resources form the invisible infrastructure of the transition.

Yet this infrastructure remains fragile, with mining exploration that is slow, costly, and uncertain. The full cycle, from initial geological data to the discovery of an exploitable deposit, typically spans several years, with a limited success rate. In this context, the ability to identify new deposits more quickly becomes a strategic issue.

Recent investments in artificial intelligence, energy, and quantum technologies show that venture capital is repositioning itself toward sectors with high industrial intensity, where value is now created upstream of production chains.

AI that no longer just predicts, but explores

Founded in 2024 in Paris by Aymeric Préveral-Etcheverry, a mining engineer and former CEO of Fieldbox, and Simon Leclair, the French startup Lithosquare is developing a platform combining artificial intelligence, geological expertise, and field data. The company is already working with exploration players in Europe, the United States, Africa, and Latin America.

Lithosquare offers a distinct approach to AI applied to geology. While some tools are limited to statistical analysis of geophysical data, the startup combines AI models with a scientific understanding of mineral formation processes.

The objective is not merely to identify correlations, but to model complex geological systems to guide exploration decisions. This approach could drastically reduce analysis times, from several months to a few days, while improving success rates.

This positioning reflects a broader evolution of AI: a shift from generic applications to deeply embedded, domain-specific use cases. In mining exploration, this transformation is still emerging, but early applications show significant potential, particularly in Africa, where AI-driven prospecting is beginning to take shape.

A technological response to a geopolitical constraint

Beyond operational performance, Lithosquare’s proposition is rooted in a sovereignty logic. Access to critical metals is currently concentrated in the hands of a limited number of countries, exposing Western supply chains to increasing geopolitical risks.

In this context, accelerating the discovery of new deposits becomes a strategic lever to diversify supply sources and reduce dependencies. Public policies, in Europe as well as in North America, are converging toward this objective, reinforcing the relevance of solutions capable of industrializing exploration.

AI appears here not only as an acceleration tool, but also as an instrument of rebalancing.

A funding round aligned with new capital priorities

The €22 million seed round, led by World Fund and Kindred Capital, with participation from Daphni, Omnes Capital, and OVNI Capital, fits within this dynamic. It confirms the growing investor interest in projects with strong scientific and industrial intensity, positioned around systemic challenges.

These larger early-stage financings reflect a shift in venture capital. Moving away from fast cycles and purely software-driven models, many investors are turning toward technological infrastructures capable of addressing physical and regulatory constraints.