# From the Battlefield to the Supply Chain: A Marine’s Mission to Secure Critical Minerals with Ian Killough, President of Ridgeline Elements

- Show: [Tough Tech Vets](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tough-tech-vets)
- Published: 2025-02-10
- Length: 47m
- Episode: 4
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tough-tech-vets/2025-02-10-from-the-battlefield-to-the-supply-chain-a-marines-mission-to-secure-critical-mi
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/71ce1360

## Summary

Ian Killough, President of Ridgeline Elements, explains how he transitioned from civil engineering to founding a company that secures critical minerals by processing cobalt from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He details the company's pivot to using electrochemical leaching technology developed with the Idaho National Laboratory to create a feed-agnostic, ethical supply chain that avoids the corruption and opacity of traditional Chinese-dominated markets. Killough discusses the challenges of feasibility studies, securing government support, and building an equitable local workforce in the DRC while establishing operations in Arkansas.

## Chapters

- [0:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tough-tech-vets/2025-02-10-from-the-battlefield-to-the-supply-chain-a-marines-mission-to-secure-critical-mi#t=3) Introduction: Ian Killough and Ridgeline Elements
- [1:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tough-tech-vets/2025-02-10-from-the-battlefield-to-the-supply-chain-a-marines-mission-to-secure-critical-mi#t=98) Origin Story: From Highway Engineering to Cobalt Mining
- [7:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tough-tech-vets/2025-02-10-from-the-battlefield-to-the-supply-chain-a-marines-mission-to-secure-critical-mi#t=445) Critical Minerals Context: Cobalt, China, and Supply Chain Risks
- [10:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tough-tech-vets/2025-02-10-from-the-battlefield-to-the-supply-chain-a-marines-mission-to-secure-critical-mi#t=621) Business Formation: Feasibility Studies and Political Networking
- [14:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tough-tech-vets/2025-02-10-from-the-battlefield-to-the-supply-chain-a-marines-mission-to-secure-critical-mi#t=881) Technology Innovation: Electrochemical Leaching vs. Industry Standard
- [21:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tough-tech-vets/2025-02-10-from-the-battlefield-to-the-supply-chain-a-marines-mission-to-secure-critical-mi#t=1261) Ethical Sourcing and Operations in the DRC
- [29:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tough-tech-vets/2025-02-10-from-the-battlefield-to-the-supply-chain-a-marines-mission-to-secure-critical-mi#t=1777) Value Chain Strategy and Future Recycling Plans
- [41:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tough-tech-vets/2025-02-10-from-the-battlefield-to-the-supply-chain-a-marines-mission-to-secure-critical-mi#t=2465) Veteran Advice and Community Impact

## Topics

- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Ridgeline Elements (company)
- Idaho National Laboratory (company)
- USAID (company)
- New Core Steel (company)
- Cobalt Red (other)
- StarCube (company)
- Democratic Republic of the Congo (other)
- Arkansas (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Turning the E-Waste Stream Into a National Asset w/ Matt Bedingfield](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2026-07-21-turning-the-e-waste-stream-into-a-national-asset-w-matt-bedingfield) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [Building a supply chain for rare earth elements](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-04-25-building-a-supply-chain-for-rare-earth-elements) (Catalyst)
- [The Big Switch: Are Batteries the New Oil?](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-04-11-the-big-switch-are-batteries-the-new-oil) (Catalyst)
- [The Carbon Copy: Get ready for the battery recycling boom](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2022-07-07-the-carbon-copy-get-ready-for-the-battery-recycling-boom) (Catalyst)
- [Giving tribes a stake in the critical minerals boom [partner content]](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2024-10-08-giving-tribes-a-stake-in-the-critical-minerals-boom-partner-content) (Catalyst)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tough-tech-vets/2025-02-10-from-the-battlefield-to-the-supply-chain-a-marines-mission-to-secure-critical-mi. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Tough Tech Vets.