Digital Catapult has announced a £400,000 investment in deep tech startup Optimal Slope, a mining technology company on a mission to transform open-pit mining into a more efficient and environmentally sustainable industry. The investment will enable the startup to secure more partnerships with global mining companies, as it looks to scale its solution, decarbonise mining operations and equip the sector to be future ready through the application of its deep tech solution.
Credit: Optimal Slope
Founded in 2021, Optimal Slope developed the world’s first software platform to automate, optimise, and digitalise the design of mine pit walls, which are the stepped rock faces that form the sides of an open-pit mine, and is a process that traditionally relies upon manual trial-and-error by engineers. By intelligently minimising the excavation of waste rock, Optimal Slope’s solution reduces costs, increases mine profitability, and significantly cuts the carbon footprint of mining operations, which is critical to decarbonising the sector and driving industrial supply chain resilience.
While mining is often associated with a negative environmental impact, it is also essential for producing the metals required to build solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles, and other clean energy technologies. By reducing waste and energy usage in the excavation process, Optimal Slope helps the mining industry to deliver the resources needed for the global energy transition, playing a key role in shifting perceptions of the sector and strengthening the resilience of supply chains for critical minerals.
Optimal Slope’s platform is already in use with international mining companies, and the investment will support expansion into key international markets such as Australia, Canada, South America, and Africa, where metal mining is critical to both local economies and the global clean energy supply chain. With Digital Catapult’s £400,000 investment in the form of a convertible loan note (CLN), the company will also refine its product with user feedback and strengthen its commercialisation and marketing efforts.
Stefano Utili, Co-Founder and CEO of Optimal Slope, said: “Mining has a crucial role to play in the transition to renewable energy, but the industry needs to change the way it operates to gain widespread social acceptability. Our mission is to help mines become cleaner, more efficient, and more digitally advanced, and Digital Catapult’s investment is a strong endorsement of our vision. This investment will help us grow our customer base, refine our product with real-world feedback, and demonstrate that mining can be both profitable and sustainable, as we look to partner with mining leaders around the world to enact a low-carbon future.”
Susan Bowen, CEO of Digital Catapult, said: “Optimal Slope is demonstrating how deep tech innovation can transform the mining industry, making it cleaner, more efficient, and better aligned with the needs of the global energy transition. This investment will help the team to scale their solution internationally and showcase how deep tech can reshape essential industries for a sustainable future. Driving industrial supply chain resilience is something that we continue to champion at Digital Catapult, and we’re pleased to support Optimal Slope’s solution that will strengthen the resilience of critical mineral supply chains and equip the sector to be future-ready.”