Leadership

Mike Kobler starts or partners with companies to develop new energy metals opportunities in the Americas. He finds and validates the deposit, establishes a growth strategy based on regulatory, infrastructure and environmental realities, helps secure investments and access to public markets, and puts in place a management team poised for long-term growth. Then he starts all over again.

Mike’s eye for opportunities developed over 35+ years as an engineering project lead on large-scale mining and tunneling projects, as head of an international underground construction consulting company, and as a founder/CEO of successful energy ventures. He has worked throughout the Americas, from Nevada to Alberta to Buenos Aires, and is as comfortable working in South America as he is in North America. In South America, he has managed projects in the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Venezuela, and Chile, and is currently developing early-stage prospects in Brazil and Paraguay. He speaks fluent technical and conversational Spanish.

Mike’s first entrepreneurial venture was co-founding Osum Oil Sands Corp, an Alberta-based oil sands exploration and development company. As CEO and member of the Board of Directors, Mike oversaw growth from start-up to a valuation approaching $500 million CAD. Osum was later acquired by Strathcona Resources.

Mike’s latest venture was co-founding American Lithium Corp in 2016, then going on to discover one of the largest lithium deposits in North America (the ‘TLC Lithium Project’ outside of Tonopah, Nevada) with roughly 8 million tons of lithium carbonate equivalent (4.2 LCE measured, 4.63 indicated). Mike guided American Lithium from a market cap of $0 to $400 million CAD before turning it over to a long-term management team.

Mike holds a BSc in Mining Engineering from Montana Tech.