Fabien Koutchekian (Genomines): Can Plants Replace Mines?

Fabien Koutchekian (Genomines): Can Plants Replace Mines?

Author: Hugo Rauch February 5, 2026 Duration: 58:20

Subscribe to the newsletter:

New Wave | Hugo Rauch | Substack

****

🌊 Mining Without Mines

How plants could unlock the next wave of critical metals.

We’re joined by Fabien, Co-Founder & CEO of Genomines, a company rethinking how the world sources nickel, not by digging deeper, but by growing smarter.

In this episode, we dive into a radical idea at the heart of the energy transition: what if we could produce critical metals using plants instead of mines?

Fabien walks us through hyper-accumulator plants, the brutal economics of mining, and why biology might be the most under-appreciated extraction technology of our time.

This is a conversation about cost curves, patience, and why sustainability only scales if it wins on unit economics.

In our conversation, we covered:

→ Why electrifying everything doesn’t work if metals stay carbon-intensive

→ How hyper-accumulator plants pull nickel straight from soil

→ The brutal reality of mining economics — and why most deposits aren’t viable

→ Why nickel isn’t rare, just inaccessible

→ Raising deep-tech capital when everyone thinks you’re crazy

→ Why winning on cost matters more than winning the climate argument

→ Transitioning from an R&D lab to an operating company

→ How cheap nickel could reshape batteries, EVs, and geopolitics

If you’re building in deep-tech or mining innovation, Fabien is someone worth listening to.



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit newwavenewsletter.substack.com

Hugo Rauch hosts New Wave, a podcast that lives at the intersection of business ambition and scientific reality. This isn't about distant predictions or abstract science; it's a grounded exploration of the technologies and companies being built right now to address our environmental future. Each episode focuses on the practical journey, dissecting the models, the breakthroughs, and the hard decisions that define the climate tech landscape. You'll hear from founders, researchers, and investors who are actively shaping this space, getting into the specifics of what works, what doesn't, and why. The conversations move beyond hype to examine the tangible mechanics of creating viable solutions, from energy storage and sustainable materials to carbon removal and regenerative agriculture. It’s for anyone who thinks about the climate challenge not just as a crisis, but as a complex and urgent field of innovation. By tuning into this podcast, you gain a clearer understanding of the economic forces and scientific principles driving the next generation of environmental solutions. New Wave connects the dots between the lab, the boardroom, and the impact we need to see in the world, offering a sober yet optimistic look at where substantive progress is truly being made.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 89

New Wave.
Podcast Episodes
Lessons from cleantech 1.0 - August Solliv (Impact Supporters) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:33
Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.***August Solliv, a former climate VC, and author of the newsletter Impact Supporters joins the podcast to dive into the learnings from the first wave of cleantech startups and w…
Climate Investing vs. Traditional VC - Eric Gossart (Racine2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:04
Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.***Eric Gossart, a partner at Racine2, an 85 million euro impact fund focused on climate, health, and education, joins the podcast to discuss the differences between traditional…
Why Boring Technology Could Save Our Planet - Dan Bowyer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:17
Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.***Dan Bowyer, a partner at SuperSeed VC, a £50M UK fund investing in startups transforming the way the world works, joins the podcast to challenge conventional definitions of im…