Six Questions, One Startup is a short-form profile series from the Vancouver Tech Journal spotlighting the founders and startups shaping Vancouver's tech scene — in their own words and in under 50 words per answer.
Tersa Critical Minerals is a Vancouver-based cleantech startup recovering critical minerals from mining waste ponds while cleaning up the water left behind. Tersa was founded in 2021 by Barinder Rasode and Stewart Muir, who saw an opportunity to turn one of mining's biggest liabilities into a source of value.
We spoke to Rasode, co-founder and CEO.
1. What problem were you personally obsessed with when you decided to start this company?
Mining powers everything around us, yet enormous value sits locked in waste ponds and tailings — leaching toxins instead of generating revenue. I became obsessed with flipping that equation: recover the critical minerals still in those ponds while cleaning up the water. That obsession became Tersa.
Mining powers everything around us and enormous value sits locked in waste and tailings ponds. These ponds are liability on the balance sheet and are non revenue generating. I became obsessed with flipping that equation. We recover critical minerals in the ponds while cleaning up the water. That obsession is Tersa.
2. Why did you choose to build this company in Vancouver?
Vancouver is a global mining and technology hub, with capital, operators, and technical talent in one place. It's where decisions about projects worldwide are made. Building Tersa here keeps us close to the people running mines today and the ones financing the next generation of projects.
3. Explain your product like you're talking to a 10-year-old.
You know how a strainer separates what you want from what you don't? Think about making pasta and separating out the water. Mines leave behind giant waste ponds full of water and leftover materials. Our technology works like a strainer, pulling out valuable minerals that were missed, while cleaning the water at the same time.
4. How did you get your very first customer?
We won the global BHP mining challenge. That process forced us to prove our technology, our team, and our understanding of real site conditions, including the waste ponds operators live with every day. After that, moving from "interesting startup" to "let's run a real project" got a lot easier.
6. What's one lesson you learned the hard way that you wish you'd known sooner?
When operators see new technology as a liability, more risk, more unknowns, more explaining to the board, the best solution in the world stalls. We learned to lead with de-risking, not innovation. Make it easy to say yes before you ever talk about what's possible. Another flip!
Final thoughts
Mining isn't going away; it's evolving. Tersa is here to help the industry recover more value with less waste, so we get the critical minerals we need while leaving stronger legacies behind. As a grandmother, as a mother, that’s critically important to me.