Linca

Linca is a specialized company focused on the recovery of critical minerals from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries. Spun out in July 2026 from its parent company, Mint Innovation, Linca operates as an independent business to sharpen the focus on the battery recycling sector. Mint Innovation retains a minority stake in the new entity. The move allows Mint to concentrate on its primary business of extracting copper, gold, and other precious metals from e-scrap, while Linca targets the rapidly growing electric vehicle and energy storage markets.Linca is led by CEO Dr. Ollie Crush, a co-founder of Mint Innovation. The company's core technological process involves refining black mass—the material resulting from the shredding of batteries—through a proprietary hydrometallurgical process to recover valuable metals such as lithium, nickel, and cobalt. This technology had already attracted significant backing before the spin-off, including £8.1 million in consortium funding from partners like Jaguar Land Rover and LiBatt Recycling.The company's establishment is aligned with the increasing global and U.S. priority to develop domestic supply chains for critical minerals, reducing reliance on international markets and addressing geopolitical supply chain pressures. Linca's initial seed funding round was led by Motion Capital and has successfully reached its first close. While its parent, Mint Innovation, plans to launch a U.S. facility in Texas in 2027 for e-scrap, Linca will dedicate its resources to scaling its battery material recovery operations.Keywords: critical mineral recovery, lithium-ion battery recycling, black mass refining, hydrometallurgy, battery materials, circular economy, EV battery recycling, energy storage, cobalt recovery, nickel recovery, lithium recovery, sustainable materials, e-waste management, resource recovery, cleantech, industrial decarbonization, battery supply chain, strategic minerals, green technology