About
Unearthed is the mining and resources industry's premier open innovation platform, bridging the gap between global innovators and mining companies facing complex operational, safety, and sustainability challenges. The platform operates through three core pillars: Open Challenges, where leading mining operators post real-world problems for global innovators to solve; Insights, delivering targeted domain and market intelligence scans to accelerate operational decision-making; and Launched, a weekly curated digest of five emerging technologies and innovations in the resources sector. Partnered with industry leaders such as BHP, Origin Energy, and Oz Minerals, Unearthed has a proven track record—reducing mineral exploration target generation time by 75%, generating 120 new exploration approaches, and producing 26 novel solutions for complex technical problems. The platform explicitly welcomes innovators from outside the mining industry, recognising that diverse perspectives and cross-sector expertise often produce breakthrough results. Unearthed serves both sides of the innovation equation: mining operators seeking fresh ideas and vetted innovators, and technology startups or suppliers wanting visibility with thousands of industry decision-makers. Whether you're a mining executive looking to stay ahead of technological change, an entrepreneur with a solution relevant to the sector, or a research team seeking accelerated exploration methodologies, Unearthed provides structured pathways to connect, collaborate, and deliver measurable impact.
Key Features
- Open Innovation Challenges: Mining and resources companies post real operational problems; global innovators, startups, and researchers submit solutions in a structured, always-open challenge format.
- Domain & Market Insights: Targeted domain and market intelligence scans provide mining operators with fast-tracked analysis to accelerate operational and strategic decision-making.
- Launched Weekly Newsletter: A curated digest of five emerging technologies and innovations in the resources sector, delivered weekly to thousands of industry professionals and innovators.
- Global Innovator Community: Access to one of the largest networks of innovators, startups, and suppliers focused on making the mining and resources sector more efficient and sustainable.
- Proven Case Studies & Outcomes: Documented results from past challenges—such as 75% reduction in exploration target generation time—demonstrate real, measurable impact for participating companies.
Use Cases
- A mining company posts a challenge to find new approaches to mineral exploration, receiving over 120 novel methodologies from global innovators.
- An AI startup uses the Launched platform to showcase its vision-based production monitoring tool to thousands of mining industry decision-makers.
- A mining executive subscribes to Launched to stay updated on five curated emerging technologies in the resources sector every week.
- An energy company partners with Unearthed to crowdsource smarter data workflows, connecting with innovators who propose approaches they had never considered internally.
- A research team outside the mining sector applies their cross-industry expertise to a posted challenge, winning a pilot opportunity with a major iron ore producer.
Pros
- Deep Industry Focus: Built exclusively for mining and resources, ensuring all challenges, insights, and innovations are directly relevant and actionable for sector professionals.
- Diverse Global Talent Pool: Actively recruits innovators from outside mining, bringing cross-industry expertise that has produced breakthrough solutions industry insiders wouldn't have developed alone.
- Proven, Measurable Results: Partnerships with BHP, Oz Minerals, and Origin Energy come with documented outcomes, giving new participants confidence in the platform's ability to deliver value.
- Dual-Sided Value: Simultaneously helps mining operators find solutions and gives startups/innovators high-quality exposure to enterprise-level mining decision-makers.
Cons
- Narrow Industry Scope: The platform is designed exclusively for mining and resources, making it largely irrelevant for companies or innovators operating outside this sector.
- Challenge-Dependent Model: Value for innovators is tied to active challenges being posted; periods of low challenge activity may reduce immediate opportunities.
- Limited Transparency on Pricing: Pricing for premium services like Insights and expert consultations is not publicly disclosed, requiring direct contact to assess cost-fit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can participate in Unearthed challenges?
Anyone can participate—innovators, startups, researchers, and suppliers from any industry are welcome. Unearthed specifically encourages participation from people outside mining, as diverse perspectives often yield the most valuable solutions.
What is the 'Launched' newsletter?
Launched is a weekly email digest that curates five emerging technologies and innovations from the mining and resources sector. It helps industry professionals stay current and gives innovators a platform to reach thousands of potential partners and customers.
How do Open Challenges work?
Mining companies partner with Unearthed to define a real operational problem and post it as a challenge. Innovators from around the world submit solutions, which are reviewed and evaluated. Successful solutions may be piloted or implemented by the challenge sponsor.
What types of companies partner with Unearthed?
Unearthed has partnered with major global mining and energy companies including BHP, Oz Minerals, and Origin Energy, among others, to co-design and sponsor innovation challenges.
What are the Insights services?
Insights are targeted domain and market intelligence scans conducted by Unearthed to help mining operators quickly identify relevant technologies, suppliers, and approaches without conducting research themselves.
