Riven Systems Exits Stealth With $7.9M to Make Industrial Chemistry Learn Faster

Riven Systems emerged from stealth with $7.9M in pre-seed funding to build an AI platform for critical-minerals processing — the chemical step that turns mined and recovered material into feedstock pure enough for defense, energy, semiconductor and advanced-manufacturing customers.

The New York company says its system combines autonomous laboratories, computational modeling and artificial intelligence to design, de-risk and operate mineral separation processes. Its first product is planned as a platform for designing, scaling and operating mineral-processing facilities, with an initial focus on critical-mineral separation including rare earths. Longer term, Riven says its ambition extends to other industrial-chemistry markets.

Cerberus Ventures led the round. Scout Ventures, Alumni Ventures, Lightscape Partners and CLAI Ventures participated, and New System Ventures served as the company's incubating investor, according to Riven's August 13, 2026 announcement. No valuation was disclosed, and DevCuration found no independently verified earlier financing round, making $7.9M the confirmed disclosed funding total.

The company says the funding will support product development and hiring across computational chemistry, machine learning, process chemistry, engineering and commercial roles.

Riven's pitch treats processing as a learning problem as much as a construction problem. Ore bodies, tailings and other feedstocks vary chemically, so a process that works for one stream may not transfer cleanly to another. The company's thesis is that a tighter feedback loop between laboratory experiments, computational models and real facilities can shorten the path from a chemistry hypothesis to an operating process.

It is led by co-founders Kurt "Chip" Breitenkamp, Ph.D., CEO, and Orion Archer Cohen, CTO. Breitenkamp previously served as president of battery-materials manufacturer NanoGraf and is named as an inventor on more than 20 patent families. Cohen earned a chemistry Ph.D. from UC Berkeley and contributed to the Materials Project and TorchSim, an open-source atomistic-simulation tool.

Riven also received a DOE Genesis Mission award, and says it is collaborating with Berkeley Lab, Los Alamos National Laboratory and UC Berkeley on novel extractant discovery, with an initial focus on rare earths. The Genesis Mission is designed to connect AI systems, supercomputers, experimental facilities and scientific datasets.

The market Riven is entering is shaped by concentration abroad. U.S. Geological Survey data shows China accounted for at least half of global production across numerous important minerals in 2024, including 99% of primary gallium, 82% of natural graphite and an estimated 71% of mined rare earths. Washington has responded with policy and public funding for domestic production and processing: in May 2026 the Department of Energy announced $45.7M for 19 critical-materials projects, including pilot-scale work on magnesium and rare earth elements.