Coffee with a Founder Podcast: Camden Hunt of Rock Zero

18- Dec-2025

On this episode of Coffee with a Founder, host Beck Bamberger sits down with Camden Hunt, CEO and Co-founder of Rock Zero. Camden shares his unconventional journey from chemistry and nuclear physics research to tackling one of the planet’s most overlooked climate challenges: the environmental impact of mining and mineral refining.

Beck and Camden Hunt dig into the slow pace of innovation in mineral refining, the geopolitics of global supply chains, and the existential drive pushing founders to solve seemingly impossible problems.

show notes:

04:39 - Slow change in mineral refining

08:37 - Unusual path to rocks

13:39 - Mining, materials, and modern life

14:58 - Geopolitics of mineral refining

17:09 - Rock Zero’s ‘rock soup’ innovation

Read More About The Episode:

04:39 - Slow change in mineral refining
Camden Hunt explains why mining and refining see little innovation, citing high costs and industry inertia.

08:37 - Unusual path to rocks
Camden discusses his path from nuclear chemistry projects to founding Rock Zero.

13:39 - Mining, materials, and modern life
They discuss how essential mined elements are for products like smartphones and the global impact of supply chains.

14:58 - Geopolitics of mineral refining
Camden discusses China's dominance in mineral refining and highlights the challenges for the US, Canada, and the EU to develop cleaner, economically viable alternatives.

17:09 - Rock Zero’s ‘rock soup’ innovation
Camden details their novel process of dissolving whole rocks, extracting all functional elements, and minimizing waste.