In a recent interview with market maker Darren Cudmore, host for InvestorNews.com, he spoke with Brian Leeners, CEO and Director of Homerun Resources Inc. (TSXV: HMR | OTCQB: HMRFF), about a strategy built around one of the most overlooked materials in the global economy: silica.Leeners framed the company’s thesis around two converging forces—electrification and the material constraints required to support it. “There are key materials within that,” he said. “It’s interesting that we focused on silica because it’s not really recognized as one of those—but it’s actually a key material in both the technology side and in the energy side.”While rarely highlighted in critical mineral discussions, silica underpins modern life across a wide value spectrum. At its lowest grade, it is used in construction and industrial applications; at its highest purity, it becomes essential for semiconductors, solar panels, and photonics. “Remove silica from your life, you will feel it miserably,” Leeners said, pointing to its central role in solar energy systems, where both silicon and glass components depend on it.Homerun’s focus on Brazil reflects both geological advantage and shifting geopolitical priorities. Leeners described the country as one of the few jurisdictions capable of supporting large-scale, vertically integrated supply chains for critical materials. “When you go around the world and you look for that, you’ve got Canada, Australia, and Brazil,” he said, emphasizing Brazil’s lower capital intensity and growing alignment with Western supply chain diversification efforts.The company’s strategy is structured around vertical integration, with each segment designed to develop into what Leeners described as a “complementary unicorn.” Rather than tying the company to a single commodity, the model is built to capture value across multiple stages of processing and manufacturing. “We didn’t want it specific to any material,” he said. “We wanted to name it after what we wanted to achieve.”A central pillar of that strategy is Homerun’s collaboration with the University of California, Davis, where the company is advancing lower-carbon processing technologies. The objective is to replace conventional, hydrocarbon-intensive methods with electrified processes capable of reducing emissions while maintaining economic viability. “How do we process our silica using electricity?” Leeners said. “How do we produce new advanced materials using electricity?”With approximately $9 million in operating capital secured and a bankable feasibility study underway for its solar glass initiative, Homerun is now focused on project-level financing structures designed to minimize dilution. “The financing is related to the actual project,” Leeners said, underscoring a disciplined approach to capital allocation as the company advances toward commercialization.

At the outset of the spring exploration season, Oreterra Metals Corp. (TSXV: OTMC) is positioning itself for what management describes as a potential breakthrough year, anchored by a fully funded drill program in British Columbia’s Golden Triangle.Speaking with InvestorNews host Tracy Hughes, CEO Kevin Keough pointed to a combination of technical groundwork and market timing. “We have the money, we have the target, it’s copper and gold, and these are hot commodities at present,” he said, referring to the company’s Trek South project—a newly identified porphyry target exposed by glacial retreat.President Stephen Burega described the past year as transformational. The company restructured, eliminated legacy debt, and rebranded to Oreterra, culminating in a financing that ultimately closed at approximately $9.7 million. “We’re a debt-free company with $9.7 million in the bank and an extraordinary target at Trek South to be worked on this summer,” he said.Investor appetite has been unusually strong. What began as a $6 million raise quickly escalated as demand accelerated. “We marketed for one day and then stopped because it had become totally chaotic,” Keough said, noting the financing was repeatedly upsized as interest continued to build.The geological thesis centers on a copper-gold porphyry system—targets that, while typically lower grade than vein deposits, can offer scale and continuity. Burega emphasized that porphyries allow for more efficient resource delineation due to their broader, more uniform mineralization. “The volume of potential mineralization is significantly higher,” he explained, contrasting them with narrower, less predictable vein systems.Trek South, now the company’s top priority among a broader portfolio, emerged after glacial retreat revealed previously inaccessible terrain. Early field observations and subsequent work elevated it above legacy targets in the region.Beyond British Columbia, Oreterra is advancing its Kinkaid project in Nevada’s Walker Lane, where historical high-grade workings suggest the potential for a deeper porphyry source. Geophysical work planned for this season aims to refine drill targets.For the immediate term, the company’s focus is execution. Camp construction is expected mid-summer, with drilling anticipated by late July and continuing into October. “It’s been a lot of work to get here,” Keough said. “But we have something potentially really significant to offer investors—the prospect of a major discovery.”

At PDAC 2026 in Toronto, InvestorNews host Tracy Hughes spoke with Ali Haji, CEO and Director of American Tungsten Corp. (CSE: TUNG | OTCQB: TUNGF), as the company closed an oversubscribed financing and accelerated toward what it says will be a defining milestone in the North American critical minerals sector.“We announced $20 million the morning of PDAC,” Haji said. “We had interest for about $55 million… we decided to go with $35 million and then took down the over-allotment option to bring us to $40 million.” The financing, completed March 18 with participation from Stifel, Canaccord, and other institutional partners, significantly strengthened the company’s shareholder base.Investor interest, Haji explained, is rooted in both timing and geology. The company’s IMA project in Idaho is positioned as a potential first mover in a tightening tungsten market, with grades of approximately 0.65% at the mine and 0.25% in tailings—figures that exceed global averages.“It’s a brownfield project with significant prior drilling,” he said, noting that recent work has confirmed high-grade tungsten alongside silver and molybdenum credits. “That silver kicker… in excess of one ounce per tonne… puts us in an exciting position.”The company is targeting its first tungsten concentrate sale before the end of 2026, with commercial production at IMA expected in 2027. “We will be the first producer of concentrate in the United States,” Haji said.Beyond organic development, American Tungsten has begun executing on a broader consolidation strategy. Its minority investment in Viking Mines—initiated at A$750,000 and now valued at roughly four times that—reflects a focus on high-grade, low-capex assets that can be brought online quickly.“We recognize the value of smaller projects coming online… to really make an impact in the supply chain in the United States,” Haji said, adding that the company is evaluating opportunities to integrate feedstock into a planned processing hub in Idaho.The backdrop to this strategy is a rapidly tightening global tungsten market. With China historically responsible for roughly 85% of supply and increasingly retaining production domestically, Western markets are facing structural shortages.“Tungsten is not just a defense metal,” Haji said. “It’s used in automotive, nuclear, microchips, wind power… the demand base is far broader than many people realize.”Even so, defense applications remain central to the narrative. Known for its extreme hardness and high melting point, tungsten has become increasingly strategic amid shifting geopolitical dynamics.Despite a surge in prices—rising sharply over the past year—Haji emphasized that the company’s economics are not dependent on elevated pricing. Internal studies suggest profitability at significantly lower price assumptions, supported by byproduct credits.“Grade is king,” he said. “Higher grade translates to higher margins and a quicker path to production.”Looking ahead, the market is focused on near-term catalysts, including an updated resource estimate, a preliminary economic assessment, and a potential TSX Venture Exchange uplisting. Haji is also scheduled to speak at the upcoming Critical Minerals Institute Summit V in Toronto on May 13-14, where supply chain security and pricing dynamics are expected to dominate discussion.For a sector long defined by offshore dependence, American Tungsten is positioning itself at the intersection of geology, geopolitics, and capital—where execution, not narrative, will ultimately determine who leads the next phase of North American supply.