Vrify's Steve de Jong on Mineral Exploration Technology and Roundup's Innovation Hub

Trevor Hall [00:00:03] Everybody, welcome to Mining Stock. Daly This is Trevor Hall reporting with my friends with the Association for Mineral Exploration. As we head into not only the holidays and the New Year, we are looking forward to the Roundup conference taking place in lovely Vancouver January 20th through the twenty third. And with me today is a good friend of the shows. He is the CEO of Vrify Technologies. And before that in a previous life he was the CEO for Integra Gold. But it is now the chairperson for Integra Resources. Mr. Steve de Jong. Steve, thank you so much for joining us on Mining Stock Saily to talk a little roundup. How are the holidays treating you thus far?

Steve de Jong [00:00:44] They're great Trev. It's great to be back. Thanks for having me.

Trevor Hall [00:00:46] So we're going to briefly chat about one's particular event. Well, not really event, but subsection of Roundup. And that would be the innovation hub. The innovation hub is a pretty unique place for basically techno technological developments that are helping Junior explore Co's not only look for resources minerals, but also advanced projects potentially into actually mines. Steve, you have been a part of the innovation hub in previous years with Vrify. Can you give us, say, kind of a catch, a glimpse of of of where Vrify has been with the innovation hub and how you actually were involved with that hub last year?

Steve de Jong [00:01:29] Yeah. So it's, um, it's actually just to back it up a little bit. It's something you're seeing more and more of, where you're seeing these conference organizers and different groups within it, within the industry put more and more attention towards innovation and technology and kind of looking at what is the future, where are the opportunities that come from all these various technologies that are appearing in every walk of life right now. And it's great to see AME BC really bring that out. I believe it's the 30 years they've been doing this. It's a third year Vrify has been involved. Maybe it was going long before that as well. But what what are the most interesting parts of it is this is a conference that's not just for investors, it's for both investors and kind of technically minded people from companies. So you have booths and presentations that are that are really kind of showing what are the what are the investment opportunities that come from these applications of new technologies. But at the same time, what are just the opportunities for how people make decisions within their exploration framework or businesses? And it's things like this innovation hub specifically where you can kind of get a feel for all of that, which is really important. As you know, you can be a mad scientist, the great geophysical idea. But if there's not real world applications and that can't translate to mineral explorations, which will benefit stakeholders and investors alike, there's kind of no point to it. So it's it's it really is these these little sort of subsectors of the various conferences and the embassy round up conferences, kind of one of the industry's best technically minded conferences. But there's little innovation that they continue to put energy into is really one of the best showcases or best place to showcase these these various technologies.

Trevor Hall [00:03:01] So you've been a part of the innovation hub for the last three years? I actually have been a part of the innovation of two previous years prior round up, actually working with a different company as a consultant. So I've actually seen the growth Vrify has built since excuse me over those three years has has things like round up in the innovation. How does that lead to growth for technologies for technology companies such as Vrify?

Steve de Jong [00:03:32] So I think every week we verify. We're a little bit different in that we come from the industry. Like my my previous role, as you mentioned, was with it as an executive with a mining mineral exploration of mining company. So what we have the advantage of a lot of those doors are meeting with executives and so on are already there. But if we didn't have that, it's it becomes even more important for the groups that say have a new application, but for an industry or new technology that could be used within the mining or mineral exploration sector. But they don't have the contacts or the resources or the Rolodex to kind of figure out who they should actually be talking to. So it's things like this innovation hub that you're going to see a lot of mining industry executives show up and get to meet some of these companies, like the one that you've been with in the past for the first time. And it is an absolutely crucial touchpoint or first just it's a phenomenal place to kind of get that first point of contact to know. It's one thing to have a great idea that can be applied to a business if that is a business with a thousand employees. It is really intimidating to know where to even start with that. What does that conversation start?

Trevor Hall [00:04:40] Steve, we know that round up a lot of the attendees are investors and junior resources and they do come for the core shack. And to be able to speak with the boots on the ground there from those various projects and companies. But why should investors also be interested in the innovation hub this year?

Steve de Jong [00:04:58] I think one thing that the innovation companies do differently is if you go see any booth or talk to any one that's representing a tech company, they tend to just. No offense to everyone else there, but their presentations and their content is sort of just a little more interesting in that they give a good example, a group that does some of the some similar work, some other work to verify, those called moon patrol. If you go there, you can do it for kind of throwing a virtual reality headset and do a full tour of kind of mine sites where you're kind of jumping right into the detail. Whether you're a junior geologist or you really like or are you there for the course shock or whatever. It's those type of experiences. I think the one group that used to work with, they always had drones on display, which I don't know. But everybody else I find really interesting that those are the kind of things that really draw people in and then you end up ultimately learning a little bit more about these individual technologies.

Trevor Hall [00:05:49] You know, it is interesting because a lot of the people that are in companies, they're exhibiting at the innovation hub are still almost maybe startup process rights. But, you know, I would argue for for a company like Verify, like you are no longer in startup mode, you're almost mainstream mode when it comes to this junior resource sector. And I'm sure you have other examples that you've seen of innovation companies that maybe started small in this little niche that would be the innovation hub and actually seen them grow to basically the junior the junior resource enterprise. They don't know anything without them type of thing. You give other examples by chance?

Steve de Jong [00:06:28] So I don't. Unfortunately, I couldn't. I don't know intimately the sort of the exhibitor list from Prior Amy Roundup Innovation Hub. So it'd be hard to speak specifically. I. I'm sure there are examples of that. I know for like, you know, in my previous role, Integra Gold, we started an event with Goldcorp called Disrupt Mining. And the whole concept behind it was we tried to make it more of a competition almost where anybody with a disruptive technology, technology or idea that could be applied to them mining, mineral exploration, extraction sector, come put an application in and then we'll we'll treat it almost like a contest and go corporate, put some money towards any companies that that do well or any ideas that they're interested in. We had so many ideas that we couldn't really narrow it down. So we did prior to the big event where the five finalists were up. We had an innovation hub type hall where the 20 some semifinalists would go in. And I had I had a number of conversations in the year since where that was for the jump point at the launch point for a lot of these companies. And looking at how Roundup is structured, the innovation hub, I think there is there are a lot of similarities in that all it takes is one conversation with one mining company for a little fledgling kind of startup technology company to really get their fit, for their idea to come to fruition or to get that one chance to show what it does. Because as soon as one company can show that this or as soon as use it as a startup can show that you've got a customer or a client mining company that's been able to save money or kind of improve safety or whatever it may be because of your technology, it is such a small kind of tight sector that you're going to see kind of massive growth in referrals just come from that.

Trevor Hall [00:08:17] Well, verify probably in a very unique position, because not only will you be in the innovation hub showcasing the work that you do most likely also have partners and clients in the course shack using the Vrify technology to showcase their projects, right?

Steve de Jong [00:08:33] Yeah. And it's actually that's our objective is to become sort of a passive tool that that everybody is is there, whether they even know what verifies or not that everybody's using. And we're seeing it more and more like the Beaver Creek Denver Gold Conference is kind of a year ago we would have had four or five clients. And this year I think we had 50 and companies using this to present and so on. And so you will see a lot of clients verify with either booth sets a roundup or I wouldn't say in the innovation hub because there's not really mining companies. Those are more technology companies with an innovation. But you will see a lot of our content just out there because we have created what we believe to be the world's best kind of dynamic presentation tool. And you can imagine sort of there are a lot of different applications for that.

Trevor Hall [00:09:18] Steve, I'd be dismissed if I didn't mention that you are a director of Association for Mineral Exploration in B.C. and I've just kind of curious, other than the innovation hub and your involvement with Verify and of the other companies you are working with, there will also be there. What are you looking forward to this year for Roundup? And what do you think this year might be a little bit different than previous years?

Steve de Jong [00:09:44] One thing it's a principle roundup is it is proven its ability to weather the storm because it hasn't. It's no secret that the last seven years in the mining sector have not been easy to round up and kind of start taking a step back. I think B.C. continues to prove itself as a better and better place to invest and again, any jurisdiction in the world to to hiccups on the speed bumps along the way. But the work that Amy B.C. does to really kind of promote and lobby for mineral exploration within within British Columbia. And I think that the strength that roundup continues or resilience it continues to show as an event and annual sort of centralized place for all of these great minds and ideas and companies to come together. It is really it's exciting. And I've been a director of Amy B.C., so I'm obviously completely biased. Everything BC related, but being more and more involved in it. In the last two or three years, you start to see the power of these these kind of these conferences where or these get togethers where the real intent is just to kind of better the industry and find ways to both kind of convince or work with external groups, but also sort of reflect on the work that we do as individual companies within the sector and how we can improve upon that. And it is it's really rewarding to see the work now that that I guess being on the border that I can indirectly take some credit for. But seeing the work that Amy B.C. through Roundup and through other initiatives has been able to accomplish.

Trevor Hall [00:11:11] Nora, my friend. Well, I don't want to keep you any longer than we have to. That was a great conversation. I do look forward to seeing what's new with Verify at the Innovation Hub. If there's anything coming down the pipeline that maybe you and your friends have been working on there. But in the meantime, have yourself a wonderful holiday. Happy New Year. I look forward to see you at Roundup.

Steve de Jong [00:11:31] Thinks that Trevor and I one thing I will just close on, I am moderating a panel on the 20th. On Monday, January 20th, we've got a number of industry executives that always speech speaking about various applications for technology within the sector. So if anyone is around, I would definitely recommend coming out to hear from some of the experts and then we'll be giving a verify presentation at 10:00 a.m. on the 21st as well. So for yourself or anyone else out there, if you happen to be around, please feel free to stop by.

Trevor Hall [00:11:57] All right. Thank you so much, Steve. That's Steve de Jong of Vrify. We will see him at the Roundup conference taking place January 20th through the 23rd. And until then, we will put a registration note into the show notes on this podcast. Have yourself a wonderful holiday and we'll talk to you again soon.