Highlights

• Andreessen Horowitz argues that America must reclaim its industrial backbone by developing a vertically integrated approach to rare earth elements and critical minerals.
• REEx proposes democratizing access to the supply chain by creating an informed investor ecosystem to support strategic mineral development.
• The article emphasizes the urgent need for government industrial policy, technological innovation, and retail investor participation to counter China's strategic mineral dominance.

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Silicon Valley titan Andreessen Horowitz/AH Capital Management, L.L.C. (opens in a new tab)  (a16z) has sounded a clarion call: “It’s time to mine.” In a sweeping declaration (opens in a new tab) authored by partners Ryan McEntush (opens in a new tab) and Erin Price-Wright, (opens in a new tab) a16z offers a rare but welcome convergence of venture capital insight with the hard realities of critical mineral supply chains. The firm’s thesis is simple yet urgent: America cannot build its technological, economic, or military future without reclaiming the industrial backbone of rare earth elements and other critical minerals, starting with mining, but not ending there.

RareEarth Exchanges (REEx) applauds a16z’s bold positioning. The essay’s clarity and conviction correctly diagnose China’s multi-decade strategy to dominate the entire rare earths value chain—from upstream mining and midstream refining to downstream magnet and battery manufacturing. They also spotlight the systemic fragilities the U.S. now faces due to decades of offshoring, underinvestment, and regulatory stagnation.

Yet while a16z captures the scale of the challenge—and rightly calls for vertically integrated, tech-enabled industrial champions—it largely overlooks one critical piece of the puzzle: informed capital flow from the retail sector. That’s where REEx steps in.

Silicon Valley VCs on the Money

Andreessen Horowitz is correct on several key fronts based on our rapidly evolving knowledge.  First processing represents a major bottleneck. The heart of China’s grip on rare earths isn’t access to ore—it’s midstream refining and separation capacity. Without mastering solvent extraction, purification, and materials science, American miners can’t scale into strategic suppliers.

And importantly, vertical integration is no longer an option!  Winning firms won’t simply “mine” or “process”—they’ll operate across multiple stages, combining mining, chemical processing, and precision manufacturing to control margins and reliability.

Absolutely, permitting reform, not to mention capital support, becomes mission-critical. Projects fail not due to geology but because of endless regulatory hurdles, commodity whiplash, and a lack of consistent demand signals. Loan guarantees, tax credits, and rapid reform of NEPA/CEQA are prerequisites for serious progress.

Finally, and we could not agree more, a new industrial model is necessary. The next great American mining firm should resemble SpaceX more than a traditional legacy commodity trader. As a16z writes, the “factory is the product.” Execution, software integration, and platform scale are non-negotiable. 

Democratizing Access to the Supply Chain

However, here’s where REEx identifies the blind spot: Andreessen’s vision focuses on billion-dollar startups and elite venture capital investments. While valid, this top-down model alone won’t scale fast enough—or widely enough—to offset China’s state-directed dominance.

America needs not just new companies. It requires new financial infrastructure and informed participation from everyday investors, as well as a government that embraces industrial policy.  Two prongs of a dynamic model must emerge simultaneously.  The government, on the one hand, must move away from thinking only free market capitalism can solve America’s short-term to intermediate-term problems. This represents a national security concern. 

On the other hand, free market capitalism will emerge as the ultimate winner over the long run. But that could be a long way away. Government industrial policy will help support the flood of retail investment in new buildings.  Policy, reform, and transformation mean opportunity for the 40+ million retail investors in America alone.

Directions

REEx is building the first mission-critical online hub for the retail investor community, focusing on rare earth elements, followed by critical minerals. From juniors exploring rare earth deposits in Texas or Quebec, to midstream processors deploying next-gen separation technologies in Australia, to magnet manufacturers building capacity in Ohio or Japan, to disruptive recycling technology and non-rare earth substitute tech—REEx tracks, analyzes, and demystifies the entire value chain.

As we gather momentum REEx seeks to arm retail investors with:

• Transparent market intelligence across upstream, midstream, and downstream segments
• Company-level financial analysis to distinguish hype from execution
• Geopolitical briefings linking Chinese export behavior to U.S. strategic risk
• A forthcoming AI-powered data platform, REE Insights (REEi), offering pricing, supply/demand forecasts, and project modeling tools and ranking of key companies across the value chain (upstream, midstream, downstream)
• Investor education content, bridging the gap between retail capital and industrial policy imperatives

 Where a16z champions the vertically integrated mining champion—and that’s a good thing, they are embracing this paradigm- REEx champions the vertically informed investor ecosystem—a grassroots capital force capable of accelerating high-potential projects beyond elite VC networks.

A Promising Signal from Silicon Valley

It matters so profoundly that Andreessen Horowitz—a firm synonymous with bold bets on transformative industries—is now taking critical minerals seriously. Their entry into this space signals to the broader investment community that rare earths and strategic materials are no longer the forgotten corner of the industrial economy—they are the new frontier of national competitiveness. a16z’s involvement lends credibility, urgency, and capital alignment to a sector that has long been overlooked by elite finance. It’s a wake-up call to entrepreneurs, policymakers, and retail investors alike: this is no longer a mining story—it’s a technology, security, and economic sovereignty story.

And while venture giants like a16z can catalyze major disruptor investments, REEx will work with a growing movement of stakeholders to help ensure the rest of the ecosystem, especially retail capital, has the tools, insights, and access to drive the broader transformation forward. Together, we can build the foundation for a resilient, ex-China supply chain—from mine to magnet, and Main Street to mission-critical.

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