The Necessary Entrepreneur · 2026-06-15 · 54 min
What if the next great resource boom isn't on land, but thousands of feet below the ocean's surface? In this episode of The Necessary Entrepreneur , Mark Perkins sits down with Oliver Gunasekara, founder and CEO of Impossible Metals, to discuss one of the most controversial and potentially transformative industries of the next decade: deep-sea mining. As demand for AI, electric vehicles, data centers, batteries, and advanced technologies continues to surge, the need for critical minerals has never been greater. Oliver explains how Impossible Metals is developing autonomous underwater robotics designed to harvest critical minerals from the ocean floor while minimizing environmental impact. Oliver shares the entrepreneurial journey behind building a venture-backed technology company operating at the intersection of robotics, mining, sustainability, national security, and energy independence. He discusses the challenges of scaling breakthrough technology, competing in global commodity markets, raising capital, hiring mission-driven teams, and moving quickly in highly regulated industries.
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