Duranium

Duranium

Reshoring critical metal production

San Francisco
12 employees
Manufacturing
Pre-seed · $500K

About Duranium

China and Russia control the world’s critical minerals. We can produce Titanium, Magnesium, Aluminum, Zirconium & Hafnium in the U.S. more profitably than any existing process, and carbon neutrally via co-production.

Carbochlorination is the primary process for producing critical metals like titanium, hafnium, and zirconium, and was once the standard for magnesium. The problem: conventional carbochlorination relies on purchasing carbon feedstocks, wastes valuable byproducts, and is highly CO₂-intensive.

Duranium changes this with a novel reactor that recycles CO₂ emissions back into feedstock (CO) while generating a valuable co-product (bleaching agents). This closed loop slashes emissions and delivers Chinese-level metal pricing without subsidies — unlocking the full potential of carbochlorination for U.S. critical mineral production.

Company details

Team Size12
LocationSan Francisco
IndustryManufacturing

Funding

Total raised

$500K

Last stage

Pre-seed

Investors

Y Combinator
FundersClub

Founders

Berkley Noble

Berkley Noble

Co-founder & CTO of Duranium, working to reshore critical metal production. My expertise lies in molten-salt electrolysis. I hold a a patent for an electrochemical metal cell and built the only U.S. pilot magnesium electrolyzer in the last 20+ years.

LinkedIn
Brenden Prins-McKinney

Brenden Prins-McKinney

Co-founder & CEO of Duranium, working to reshore critical metal production. Previously a consultant with McKinsey & Co. in D.C., where I advised the DoD on reshoring critical chemical production. Graduate of Stanford Law School where I was a Knight-Hennessy Scholar.

LinkedIn

What happens next.

No applications, no recruiter spam. Just the intro.

01

Confirm the fit

A few questions to make sure this role is the right shape for you. Two minutes.

02

I pitch you to the company

I write the intro, send it to the founder, and handle the back-and-forth.

03

A meeting lands on your calendar

If they’re a yes, I book the chat. You show up — that’s the whole job-hunt.