10 · Research · product · Jul 2026
STRIAQ
Research and an MVP scope for AI agents in mineral exploration: ingest decades of drilling data, build a geological memory per project, and rank the next targets.
The decision
Decompose the ten-x claim
The pitch I started with was "ten times faster mineral processing". A geologist would tear that apart. The speed-up is real, but it lives in the decision loop, from data to decision in hours instead of weeks, not in the rock. So the product is positioned as the Competent Person's exoskeleton: it supports the named expert the reporting codes require, it never replaces them.[16] SourceDownloads/striaq_mvpAs of2026-07-27StatusVerifiedAll sources →
What I built
- Market research, a competitive map and the positioning.
- The MVP scope and architecture: legacy data rescue as the entry wedge, an auditable evidence chain, and a critic agent that cannot be bypassed.
What was hard
An industry that is right to be sceptical
Reporting codes require a named Competent Person and no published guidance accepts machine-derived resource estimates. The product had to be designed around that, not against it.
What I learned
- The strongest positioning removes the buyer's biggest objection before they raise it.
Results
- Research and MVP package complete. Not yet built as a product.