en.Wedoany.com Reported - Chilean mining accelerator platform Aster recently announced the winners of its eighth edition. SG TIS won with a technology that enables real-time monitoring from within heap leaching operations to optimize copper recovery and improve operational safety, receiving a $50,000 grant and technical support to advance large-scale validation of the technology in real mining environments.
Pablo Pisani, Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Communications at Escondida | BHP, stated that the Aster accelerator program is driving solutions to real critical challenges in mining operations, with 19 shortlisted startups currently conducting pilots in actual operational environments. Macarena López, Executive Director of Aster, noted that the eighth edition validates the potential of the Antofagasta region to nurture high-level technologies, and the case of SG TIS exemplifies the value of connecting talent with large-scale mining to generate tangible impact.
Other shortlisted startups in this edition include AGS Soluciones, VIZUtire, SPF Ingeniería, and Recylink, whose proposals focus on areas such as intelligent monitoring, off-highway tire management, pipeline leak detection, and waste digitization.
Gonzalo Donoso, Head of Technology and Commercialization at SG TIS, said that winning the eighth edition of Aster affirms that innovation can address major challenges in the mining industry, and this recognition motivates the team to continue creating value, efficiency, and sustainability.
Aster was founded in 2022 by Escondida | BHP as part of its Supplier and Future Plan (Plan Proveedores & Futuro). To date, the platform has collaborated with over 70 startups, with its current portfolio including 56 mining technology companies and cumulative sales exceeding $19 million. Its solutions have been deployed in more than 25 mining operations, with 92 active contracts and 19 ongoing pilot projects, of which 13% of the startups have expanded into international markets such as Peru and Colombia.
This year, Escondida | BHP and Aster also launched Open Aster, its first open innovation call, aimed at connecting real operational challenges with startups and suppliers. The initiative received over 650 applications to address 21 strategic challenges defined by various operational management departments and one cross-cutting challenge focused on safety. Among these, 66 proposals have entered the technical evaluation phase led by professional teams from Escondida | BHP, with further updates to be announced on asteraceleradora.com.
