About Geopyörä
Geopyörä is a start-up company on a mission to bring mining into a new era of big data. Our state-of-the-art rock breakage characterization technology allows mining companies to rapidly test several samples at low cost and generate a large amount of high quality data, which can be used to better assess the ore hardness variability, reduce risks and add value to projects.
Our Values
One mine, one solution.
Always challenge the status quo,
To deliver solutions we believe in.
We are together in this journey!
The Team
Members of the founding team have a diverse background, with strong academic and professional experience both in mining and financial markets. With track history in project and business development, the team is prepared to make a positive difference in the industry.
Marcos de Paiva Bueno, Ph.D.
CEO
With more than 18 years of work and research experience in mining and mineral processing engineering, Dr Bueno has in-depth knowledge of designing and optimising comminution circuits and geometallurgy. He completed a PhD at the University of Queensland, specialising in multi-component autogenous and semi-autogenous grinding. He has conducted extensive comminution circuit surveys and pilot plant campaigns in Australia and internationally. As a senior process engineer for Ausenco, he has been involved in technical and engineering studies related to most key mining commodities. More recently, as a senior researcher and lecturer at the University of Oulu, he developed the Geopyörä breakage test with financial support from Business Finland.
Prof. Malcolm Powell
CTO
Malcolm has applied fundamental comminution research to design and process improvement on over 70 mines worldwide during 35 years at Mintek, UCT, and then as Professor of comminution at the JKMRC in Australia. His work is published in over 200 papers and has been presented in as many conferences worldwide. Malcolm collaborates extensively, with close compatriots on 5 continents forming the Global Comminution Collaborative (GCC) – providing an expert research and consulting base covering the full comminution process chain. Malcolm provides on-site experiential training and site reviews to empower mine staff to upgrade the productivity and their skills. This is supplemented with formal training workshops on liner design, comminution and Advanced Mine to Mill. Malcolm’s research vision is of integrated total process simulation as a tool for innovation – linking geology, mining, energy and size reduction, gangue rejection and recovery into flexible process design and process optimisation.
Ronan Cruz
CFO
Ronan Cruz is an economist, master accountant and serial entrepreneur. With solid background in financial markets, worked for institutions such as Deutsche Bank, Wachovia Securities and BTG Pactual. Has participated in M&A deals with global companies and acted as business consultant before started investing and developing a series of business and startups.
Thiago de Almeida
Trainee Engineer
With background in Nuclear Engineering at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, de Almeida has experience in full-stack software development projects, data science, artificial intelligence, nuclear technology and comminution, in addition to being a finalist of the 2019 World Nuclear Olympiad in Vienna, having presented his final project during a conference at the UN office. Currently working on a research project based on the application of machine learning algorithms to predict Geopyörä's comminution parameters using data from nuclear instrumentation tests, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), unravelling the intricate relationships among material properties, chemical and mineralogical composition, and their collective influence on hardness.
Leonardo Lara
Trainee Engineer
Leonardo is a Mining Engineer from the University of São Paulo, where he conducted research in the field of rock mechanics and authored a thesis on the impact of sample size on SAG mill capacity estimation, which will present at the 2024 Procemin-Geomet conference. He also holds a background in project management, with coursework completed at FGV-SP. Currently a student at the EMJM-promise master's program.
William Dias
Research Intern
William holds a degree in Mining Engineering and a Bachelor's in Science and Technology from the Federal University of Alfenas, where he participated in projects on the mechanical characterization of rocks and soils, as well as research on the cost-effectiveness of rock blasting in aggregate ventures. He has worked in the Mineral Processing industry as an Asset Management Analyst, and he is currently a master's student in the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Program at COPPE - UFRJ.
Rafaela Caruso Silva
Administrative Analyst
Rafaela is a Business Administration student at the Escola Paulista de Política, Economia e Negócios at the Federal University of São Paulo. She has experience in Equity Research and private equity rounds, has worked in the Controllership area at Banco Safra, and in the back office of Credit and Financing operations at fintechs.
Marina Baslina
Marketing Coordinator
Marina is an expert in personal branding for B2B CEOs in complex industries, helping them grow their LinkedIn presence through high-ROI, CEO-led content strategies. With a focus on engineer-minded business owners, Marina works with leaders in sectors like mining, tech startups, environmental services, and AI, helping them overcome imposter syndrome and the challenge of staying consistent with their marketing.
Syed Huzaifa Ali
Product Development Intern
Syed Huzaifa Ali is a process optimization and operational efficiency specialist, focusing on supply chain management and procurement. A master’s student at the University of Oulu and a robotics expert, he serves as the Mechatronics Lead at Xavor. With experience across manufacturing, construction, and engineering, Syed has successfully helped businesses streamline operations, enhance productivity, and reduce costs, while also holding a certification as a Solidworks Professional
Ali Goodarzi
Product Development Intern
Ali Goodarzi is a Machine Learning Engineer with over 4 years of experience in Electronics, specializing in crafting intelligent systems that leverage AI to solve complex problems. Skilled in System-on-Chip (SoC), Embedded Systems, and advanced programming in Python, C++, and MATLAB, he excels at analyzing datasets and integrating innovative solutions.