# Ashish Gupta & Siddhartha (Sid) Paul from KonsciousPlanet/KP Labs

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/energytech-startups-5673200/ashish-gupta-siddhartha-sid-paul-from-konsciousplanet-kp-labs
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/energytech-startups-5673200/ashish-gupta-siddhartha-sid-paul-from-konsciousplanet-kp-labs.md
Podcast: [Energytech Startups](https://stenobird.com/podcast/energytech-startups-5673200)
Published: 2026-03-17T12:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://energytechstartups.collide.io/episodes/556fd849-5f65-4af6-999a-d9fc54650722
Audio file: https://media.transistor.fm/934ce585/7bbef5ea.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/energytech-startups-5673200/episodes/ashish-gupta-siddhartha-sid-paul-from-konsciousplanet-kp-labs
Duration seconds: 2830

## Resource

Critical metals like nickel and cobalt are slipping through the cracks and into landfills, and KP Labs is on a mission to get them back. Dr. Ashish Gupta and Siddhartha Paul, CEO and CTO and co-founders of KonsciousPlanet/KP Labs, break down how bacteria can pull valuable metals from e-waste, why recycling is really just energy independence in disguise, and why they're calling it urban mining. Click here to watch a video of this episode. Join the conversation shaping the future of energy. Collide is the community where oil & gas professionals connect, share insights, and solve real-world problems together. No noise. No fluff. Just the discussions that move our industry forward. Apply today at collide.io Click here to view the episode transcript. 0:00 - Intro and KP Labs origin story 3:26 - How the e-waste recycling technology works 8:39 - Black mass, battery chemistry, and the logistics problem 11:00 - America's recycling problem 14:40 - Democratizing the recycling process 18:29 - Commercialization plans and funding 24:02 - Founders' backgrounds and how they met 30:00 - Challenges in energy transition investing 35:39 - Houston ecosystem and helpful resources 38:07 - Investor misconceptions and how to pitch it right 42:58 - Reframing the business as urban mining 44:13 - What KP Labs is looking for right now https://twitter.com/collide_ai https://www.tiktok.com/@collide.io https://www.facebook.com/collide.io https://www.instagram.com/collide.io https://www.youtube.com/@collide_io https://bsky.app/profile/collide-ai.bsky.social https://www.linkedin.com/company/collideai

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## Transcript

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