Venture Center’s ALTA Aims to Ignite Arkansas’ Battery Future
This Week: Arkansas Bets Big on Lithium Tech
The Venture Center kicks off the first U.S. lithium accelerator, drawing top startups and major partners to an El Dorado kickoff event.
Pantera exits Smackover ownership with a $26M deal as EnergyX accelerates its U.S. lithium ambitions.
Let’s dive in!
Arkansas Launches Nation’s First Lithium Tech Accelerator
The Venture Center of Little Rock this week launched the Arkansas Lithium Technology Accelerator (ALTA), the first U.S.-based startup accelerator focused entirely on lithium innovation and the battery supply chain.
Backed by a coalition of public and private partners including Standard Lithium Ltd. of Vancouver, Albemarle Corp. of Charlotte, N.C., and Tetra Technologies Inc. of The Woodlands, Texas, the program aims to make Arkansas a global hub for direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology and battery materials innovation.
The program kickoff took place Monday in El Dorado, near the epicenter of lithium-rich brine operations in the Smackover Formation.
“This lithium opportunity is a gigantic opportunity for Arkansas,” James Hendren, co-founder and chairman of The Venture Center, told industry leaders and economic development officials at the kickoff event. “It can make a gigantic difference, and that’s what we’re all here together to try to make happen.”
The First ALTA Cohort
Three companies are taking part in the three-week program, running July 14-Aug. 1:
Telescope Innovations of Vancouver: Specializes in automation and optimization of lithium and critical mineral processing.
RAM Geothermal of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Little Rock: Developer of scalable geothermal energy services in the Smackover region.
Nano One Materials Corp. of Vancouver: Developer of patented cathode materials that streamline lithium-ion battery production while lowering costs and emissions.
Startups will get hands-on support through curated meetings with producers, researchers, regulators and investors across three regions: El Dorado/Magnolia, Little Rock and northwest Arkansas.
Scenes from the ALTA kickoff event: (From left to right) U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman addresses the group via video; Venture Center Program Manager Sarah Thomas; Venture Center Co-Founder and Chairman James Hendren; and Telescope Innovations Vice President Ryan Jansonius.
A Strategic Play
Organizers say ALTA is more than just an accelerator — it's a strategic play to secure generations of jobs, investment and innovation tied to lithium extraction and battery supply chains.
More than one of the day’s speakers emphasized that Arkansas is looking to take the lithium industry beyond extraction.
Jesse Edmondson, director of government relations for Standard Lithium, told the audience that his goal is “multiple generations” of jobs from the industry, not another “boom and bust” cycle.
Hendren said, “We’re looking to take this opportunity with lithium and grow it into a full end-to-end industry to support with long-term jobs … so it’s not just pulling the lithium out of the brine, it’s moving forward into, ‘What do you do with that?’”
Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC) Executive Director Clint O’Neal said Arkansas is seizing its chance to develop a nascent industry:
“We look at lithium as an opportunity for such significant growth that we’re confident Arkansas can be a major player in this industry,” he said.
Partners Powering ALTA
The accelerator is a joint initiative by The Venture Center, Standard Lithium and the University of Arkansas, with additional support from South Arkansas College, Southern Arkansas University, AEDC and the Walton Family Foundation. It received $200,000 in AEDC grant funding as one of 11 Arkansas-based innovation accelerators awarded in 2025.
“Investing in lithium extraction and next-gen energy technologies will put Arkansas at the forefront of building domestic critical mineral supply chains,” Edmondson said.
Arthur Orduña, executive director of The Venture Center, previewed his lithium accelerator plans with Lithium Link in February. On Monday, he said that plans for the accelerator came out of the center’s support for the first Arkansas Lithium Innovation Summit, which took place last year. A second summit is scheduled for October in Little Rock.
“Collectively, we decided to leverage our business-driven industry accelerator model that has been successful in fintech and Veteran-owned small business programs and focus it on helping to build Arkansas’ position as the emerging leader in both Lithium production and innovation by bringing the best and brightest technology companies to the state with the goal of having them plant their flag in Arkansas,” he said.
What’s Next: Each of the companies in the ATLA cohort will work on pilot planning with Arkansas-based lithium companies and gain exposure to both public and private investors. The program culminates in a Demo Day at 5:30 p.m. July 31 at Record in Bentonville, where startups will pitch their services to stakeholders and potential funders.
More: Read coverage in Arkansas Business, Talk Business & Politics, KATV and the Arkansas Times.
In the Next Lithium Link Newsletter: How one ALTA cohort member is thinking about electric vehicle demand as consumer EV incentives go away, and how a battery supply chain can grow with the help of the defense industry.
Pantera Sells Smackover Lithium Project for $26M
Pantera Lithium of West Perth, Australia, (ASX: PFE) has agreed to sell its Smackover lithium brine project in Arkansas to lithium tech firm EnergyX of Austin, Texas, in a deal worth A$40 million — or about $26.8 million in U.S. dollars.
The deal includes:
A$6 million (U.S. $4 million) in cash
A$34 million (U.S. $22.8 million) in EnergyX stock
The Smackover Formation property in southern Arkansas spans 35,000 gross acres — prime real estate in one of the most sought-after lithium basins in North America. The sale positions EnergyX — backed by General Motors, steel-maker POSCO and super-major oil company Eni — to expand its U.S. footprint and scale its direct lithium extraction (DLE) ambitions.
EnergyX said it plans to integrate the acreage into Project Lonestar, its full-spectrum Smackover lithium development initiative.
That plan includes building a lithium “mega-refinery” in the TexAmericas Center, an industrial park just west of Texarkana in Bowie County, Texas.
EnergyX has an option to purchase more than 330 acres of land in the park, according to the Texarkana Gazette.
Reuters reports that EnergyX aims to produce “12,500 metric tons of lithium per year by 2028 and 50,000 metric tons per year by 2030.”
Pantera Lithium investor presentation, March 3, 2025.
Pantera said the deal unlocks immediate liquidity while preserving upside potential through its EnergyX stake. Pantera could also realize benefits from EnergyX’s Project Black Giant in Chile, a brine project aiming for production by 2027.
Pantera Executive Chairman Barnaby Egerton-Warburton called the deal “game-changing.”
“By aligning Pantera’s Smackover Project with this powerhouse, we’ve created a synergistic platform that connects one of North America’s most prospective lithium brine basins with EnergyX’s advanced extraction technology and downstream ambitions,” he said. “The transaction delivers immediate capital, operational momentum, and a long-term strategic relationship that could see Pantera own a cornerstone of the North American lithium supply chain.”
EnergyX CEO Teague Egan said the deal marks a milestone in the race to develop commercial lithium production in the U.S.:
“With 35,000 acres positioned adjacent to Exxon, Chevron, and Standard Lithium in the Smackover, the race is on.”
The deal is expected to close by October, subject to shareholder approval and other conditions.
Previously: Egerton-Warburton shared his thoughts on the Arkansas assets in a February episode of the “Stocks Down Under” podcast.
More: See more coverage from Arkansas Business, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the Texarkana Gazette, Reuters and the Magnolia Reporter.
What We’re Reading, Watching
Here’s a quick sample of other lithium-related news we’re reading and watching:
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Senior Editor Rex Nelson talks to UA geologist — and ALTA co-founder — Erik Pollock for a “lithium 101” column: Read article
Little Rock ABC affiliate KATV-TV, Channel 7, profiles Standard Lithium and goes inside its demonstration plant near El Dorado: Watch video | Read article
The Malvern/Hot Spring Chamber of Commerce and the HSC Economic Development Corporation visits the Standard Lithium plant: Read article
Robert Reynolds (our very first Lithium Link interview) tells the Camden News he’s looking forward to the start of lithium production: Read article
Register for the 2025 Arkansas Lithium Innovation Summit
🗓 Oct. 28-29, 2025
📍 Statehouse Convention Center, Little Rock, Arkansas
Join innovators, industry leaders, researchers and policymakers as Arkansas builds America’s next energy hub. From direct lithium extraction to battery manufacturing, this is where the future of energy takes shape.
Register now for the Arkansas Lithium Innovation Summit to:
✅ Learn from national experts
✅ Connect with startups, investors & global companies
✅ Explore opportunities in workforce, tech and infrastructure
🎟️ Space is limited — sign up today on Eventbrite to secure your spot.
Keynote speakers include Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Simon Moores, founder and CEO of Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.
Plus: Learn about sponsorship opportunities.
Previously: A look at last year’s inaugural summit: Video | White paper
