Highlights
- Appian is pleased to announce that it has made a significant investment into Urbix, Inc. (“Urbix”) and entered into a Joint Development Agreement to develop a commercial scale downstream graphite processing facility
- Proposed facility would produce coated spherical purified graphite (“CSPG”), a high quality anode material used in lithium ion batteries that power electric vehicles and other applications, and diversify the strategic supply chain available to North American battery gigafactories
- Agreement provides Urbix and the facility with a consistent source of high quality natural graphite concentrate feed from Brazilian graphite producer Graphcoa, another Appian investee company
- Transaction establishes an active collaboration between Appian and Urbix, with Appian contributing its deep technical and project management expertise expected to drive development forward and de-risk the project
- Investment enhances Appian’s world-class portfolio of highly prospective assets in attractive operating jurisdictions and strengthens its overall presence in the United States
Appian Capital Advisory LLP (“Appian”), the investment advisor to long-term value-focused private capital funds that invest solely in mining and mining-related companies, announces a strategic investment in and joint development agreement (the “JDA”) with Urbix to develop a project to build and operate a commercial scale graphite processing facility (the “Facility”) that would produce CSPG from natural graphite concentrate feed supplied by Graphcoa, another Appian investee company located in Brazil (the “Transaction”).
Urbix is an innovator focused on developing and optimizing technology for the efficient production of graphite products. Urbix possesses proprietary technology which utilizes a sustainable, environmentally friendly approach for the production of graphite products.
Michael W. Scherb, Founder and CEO of Appian, commented:
“This investment and joint development agreement mark a significant advancement towards establishing a vertically integrated graphite company in the Americas. This synergistic partnership will leverage Appian’s deep construction and operating expertise and Urbix’s innovative and proprietary processing technology to supply high-quality CSPG to North American battery gigafactories. I look forward to closely collaborating with Urbix, Graphcoa, and all stakeholders in the United States and Brazil across the graphite value chain to meet growing demand for independent supply of these materials.”
As part of the Transaction, Appian’s investment into Urbix will help fund the construction of a commercial scale demonstration module, development activities and customer engagement outlined in the JDA required to achieve a Final Investment Decision (“FID”) for construction of the Facility. Upon a positive FID, Appian and Urbix intend to establish a Joint Venture (the “JV”) to construct and operate the Facility.
Through its investment, Appian will obtain two of seven board seats at Urbix. The Urbix Board of Directors will comprise seven directors, including Adam Fisher and Paulo Castellari-Porchia, as nominees of Appian, Nico Cuevas-Gomez and Luis Ramos and three independent directors. A Steering Committee will be established to oversee the development activities and will be made up of four members, two of which will be Appian nominees, allowing Appian to apply its deep technical and construction expertise throughout the development period.
The Transaction follows extensive engagement with the Urbix team and is a strong fit with Appian’s investment strategy. The Transaction is expected to:
- Strategically position Urbix to establish a fully integrated graphite anode material supply chain in the Americas to provide North American battery gigafactories with security of supply
- Strengthen Appian’s exposure to the rapidly growing market for graphite anode material and aligns with the firm’s focus on developing projects that produce the commodities required to accelerate the energy transition
- Allow for active collaboration with Urbix facilitating the application of Appian’s technical and project management expertise to optimize the development of the Facility
- Result in the construction of the Facility through a joint-venture, which is expected to utilize Urbix’s novel production process that is more cost effective, efficient and environmentally friendly than existing processes
- Augment Appian’s presence in the United States, which remains one of the world’s most technologically innovative jurisdictions and actively supports the development of new supply chains in which Appian invests
For further information:
FGS Global +44 (0)20 7251 3801 / [email protected]
Charles O’Brien, Richard Crowley, Michael Stock
Appian Capital Advisory +44 (0)20 7004 0951 / [email protected]
Michael W. Scherb
About Appian Capital Advisory LLP
Appian Capital Advisory LLP is the investment advisor to long-term value-focused private capital funds that invest solely in mining and mining-related companies.
Appian is a leading investment advisor in the metals and mining industry, with global experience across South America, North America, Australia and Africa and a successful track record of supporting companies to achieve their development targets, with a global operating portfolio overseeing nearly 7,000 employees.
Appian has a global team of 75 experienced professionals with presences in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Lima, Belo Horizonte, Montreal, Dubai, Johannesburg and Perth.
For more information please visit www.appiancapitaladvisory.com, or find us on LinkedIn, Instagram or Twitter/X.
You can download a PDF version of this press release here.