Revolutionizing how the world unlocks critical minerals

In 2006, a geophysicist working in the Saskatchewan uranium fields had an idea. The initial idea yielded a multi-year academic project at TRIUMF, Canada’s national particle physics laboratory, to investigate the use of cosmic-ray muon tomography – a passive and free energy source resulting from supernova explosions in space – for subsurface mineral exploration. In 2020, Ideon Technologies was launched to commercialize the technology.   

Ideon Technologies is a global leader for subsurface intelligence

As the world pioneer in cosmic-ray muon tomography and a leader in subsurface intelligence, Ideon helps mining companies map, characterize, and monitor mineral and metal deposits, air voids, caves tunnels and other structures deep beneath the Earth’s surface. This method reduces the risk and cost of low-yield traditional methods (primarily drilling), while saving time and minimizing environmental impact across the mining value chain. 

Early in 2021, the Ideon team – then just 5 people in a start-up garage in a Richmond, British Columbia industrial park – learned about the DIGITAL program and its unique consortium-based approach to accelerating innovation. With support from DIGITAL, Ideon partnered with Dias Geophysical, Fireweed Metals, BHP, Microsoft, Simon Fraser University, and Mitacs to launch the Earth X-ray for Low-Impact Mining project. In addition to DIGITAL’s co-investment, Ideon benefitted from other aspects of DIGITAL’s model. DIGITAL helped ensure that Ideon’s IP was protected and that other project partners had a clear understanding of how the IP would be licensed: a benefit that was particularly crucial for a SME accelerating their commercialization strategy and collaborating with major partners at that scale. “Over the last decade, we’ve repeatedly developed world firsts to bring our technology to market,” Ideon Co-Founder & CEO, Gary Agnew, reflected on the journey of their technology development. “Technology and science are only one part of the equation. Partnering with the world’s largest mining companies has been our biggest edge in really understanding their problems, and then applying technology and change management to get the outcomes they’re searching for.” 

During the Earth X-ray project, Ideon built on their technology foundations to create the REVEAL™ subsurface intelligence platform. The REVEAL™ Platform comprises an advanced suite of proprietary data-generation hardware, software, AI-powered services, and multi-physics fusion that provide x-ray-like visibility deep underground and unlock the exponential power of integrated spatial data. The success of the initial project and Ideon’s resulting subsurface intelligence platform enabled Ideon to scale significantly. In 2022, Ideon announced a USD$16M/CAD$21M Series A funding round. Ideon has further grown its staff from 5 in 2020 to 65 staff as of spring 2025, a 1200% increase.

Working with large firms on the initial project also gave Ideon credibility with other large mining companies, leading to their platform’s deployment in Saskatchewan, Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia, BC, Yukon, the United States, Indonesia, and Australia and contracts with five of the world’s six largest mining companies. “DIGITAL’s powerful innovative framework was instrumental in driving our creation of breakthrough technology for the global mining industry. The initial Earth X-ray consortium enabled us to massively scale our ambitions and impact, within Canada and globally,” Agnew commented on what working with DIGITAL has contributed to their success. 

A Canadian trailblazer, that continues to grow

Ideon is now leading a follow-on initiative: Subsurface Intelligence to Unlock Critical Minerals Supply (UCM). This project expands the focus of the original Earth-X initiative, now addressing the entire mining value chain—from exploration and operations to tailings management, reclamation and aftercare.  The follow-on initiative has attracted new partners such as global mining leader Rio Tinto. The new project includes 8 major field trials at major mining sites around the world and in novel use cases that can generate multiple millions of dollars in value for the end users. The first field trial to be completed under the UCM project was with New Gold Inc. at their New Afton Mine in Kamloops, B.C. – Canada’s only operating block cave mine. This trial allowed Ideon to present demonstrated results for accurate monitoring and modelling of subsurface caves in 2024 – an achievement never achievable before for operations of that nature.    

“We were told many times over our journey that what we were doing was impossible. But, our team has always been motivated by the quote ‘It always seems impossible until it’s done,’” Agnew remarked. “Not giving up is what gets you to breakthroughs. It’s about doing the impossible – that’s the spirit of Canadian ambition.” 

Get in Touch

Interested in learning more about how DIGITAL can help support your Canadian mining technology or connect you to Canadian solutions providers? Get in touch with Chris Doody, Director of Investment Oversight today!