# To power AI, Khosla and a16z bet this startup can reinvent mining

_Published Wednesday, August 5, 2026 at 6:16 PM EDT · Capital · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![Mariana Minerals CEO Turner Caldwell and Utah Governor Spencer Cox press the detonator at the First Blast at Mariana Copper One in April 2026. — Primary](https://fortune.com/img-assets/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Governor-Cox-and-Turner-First-Blast-e1785520575334.jpg?resize=1200,600)

Mariana Minerals, a software-focused mining startup cofounded by Turner Caldwell, Baker Tilney and Juan Lozano, secured a $310 million Series B funding round led by Khosla Ventures with participation from Andreessen Horowitz and other investors.

The round brings Mariana's total funding to $400 million and values the company at $1.5 billion. Caldwell said the company aims to reduce the cost of core metals like lithium and copper to enable faster progress in industries such as AI. Mariana operates Copper One in Utah and Lithium One in Texas, using autonomous software to restart and develop mining sites.

## Sources

- [fortune.com](https://fortune.com/2026/08/03/power-ai-khosla-a16z-bet-startup-reinvent-mining-mariana-minerals/)

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Canonical: https://techandbusiness.org/newswire/LDsl0q0WTWKBDx0dhVOWkL
Published: 2026-08-05T22:16:55.981Z
Story chronology: 2026-08-03T12:00:00.000Z
Retrieved: 2026-09-20T02:06:36.830Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)