# Giraffe Bio raises $6.4 million to develop copper recovery chemicals

_Published Tuesday, October 13, 2026 at 10:08 AM EDT · Capital · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![Giraffe Bio raises $6.4 million to develop copper recovery chemicals — Primary](https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/GettyImages-1202319290.jpeg?resize=1200,800)

Giraffe Bio raised a $6.4 million seed round led by Orion Industrial Ventures to move its mineral recovery technology out of the lab, TechCrunch reported. BHP Ventures, Twynam, Air Capital and Baruch Future Ventures participated.

The startup grows engineered microbes in a bioreactor to produce compounds tailored to a mine's minerals. Operators add the compounds to flotation, a process that separates desirable minerals from waste in water, rather than keeping microbes alive inside the mine.

Giraffe Bio says its chemicals can help mines recover up to 5% more copper. It is also developing compounds that bind to unwanted materials such as arsenic and make them sink.

## Sources

- [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/13/giraffe-bio-aims-its-bespoke-biomolecules-at-the-looming-copper-shortage/)

---
Canonical: https://techandbusiness.org/newswire/96a8j5NVOR2wfyJqR7PId4
Published: 2026-10-13T14:08:12.857Z
Story chronology: 2026-10-13T12:40:00.000Z
Retrieved: 2026-10-13T16:46:45.927Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)