Unearthed Leads Trade Mission to Silicon Valley

On the twentieth of September, Unearthed will lead a delegation of resource industry and venture capital representatives from Australia on a trade mission to Silicon Valley to learn about the strengths of one of the world’s great innovation ecosystems, from those working in it.

Conversely, delegates are also looking to explore the key opportunities and benefits of the Australian resources sector. What are our unique comparative advantages? Which lessons learned can we share with North America?

In 2013, a McKinsey report identified twelve technologies to drive massive economic transformations and disruption, with their related applications likely to have a potential economic impact of between $US14trillion and $US33 trillion a year in 2025.

Eleven of these twelve technologies have a direct and significant impact on the world’s resources sector. Unearthed anticipates that these disruptive technologies could account for more than $1 trillion of impact over the next ten years.

“The global resources sector faces unprecedented pressure to improve the efficiency and sustainability of its operations, and at the same time it will see nearly $1 trillion of impact from new technologies in the decade ahead,” explains Justin Strharsky, Director of Unearthed. “We are helping industry adapt by creating opportunities for entrepreneurs.”

Zane Prickett and Justin Strharsky of Unearthed Solutions

The Silicon Valley trade mission will look to discover how we might transform the change coming from these technologies from a disruptive threat into the opportunity to improve the efficiency and sustainability of the industry.

Justin Strharsky and Zane Prickett of Unearthed Solutions will be among those who attend three days’ worth of sessions with industry leaders, startups and venture capital firms, such as Caterpillar Ventures, Silicon Valley Bank, GE, Uptake and Aconex, to name just a few.

They will be visiting accelerators to experience first-hand how corporates in other industries are interacting with startups to create a pipeline of development to positively impact on their bottom line, and hope to increase their understanding of how to build capacity for these programs in Australia.

In addition to attending these meetings, delegates will also have the opportunity to participate in Unearthed San Francisco and MINExpo in Las Vegas.

Unearthed San Francisco will bring together the global resources sector with the Silicon Valley startup community at this unique hackathon event. With cornerstone support from global manufacturer of construction and mining equipment Caterpillar, and resources giant BHP Billiton, the three-day event will take place at Galvanize, SoMa from the twenty-third to the twenty-fifth of September.

“Caterpillar is pleased to sponsor Unearthed San Francisco. The hackathon is just one more way we’re putting the latest tools, processes and ideas to work for Caterpillar customers — helping them improve safety, increase production efficiency and reduce costs”, said Tony Johnson, Marketing Manager for Caterpillar Global Mining, Surface Mining & Technology Division. 

Unearthed San Francisco will then lead into MINExpo 2016, which will take place from the twenty-sixth to the twenty-eighth of September. The exposition will showcase solutions that make it possible for the mining industry to meet the challenges and capitalise on the opportunities in a rapidly changing world in need of metals, minerals and energy. Imaginative new products and services, innovative technologies and learning from the expertise of others will all be on offer at the event.

Unearthed is passionate about accelerating innovation in the resources sector. In leading this trade mission, they are excited to gain insights into what it will take to build Australia into the leading resources innovation hub of the world.