Oliver Gunasekara

Oliver Gunasekara is a prominent entrepreneur and the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Impossible Metals, a company focused on responsible seabed mining and refining of battery metals to support sustainable energy initiatives. He has over 30 years of experience in technology and business development, particularly in the semiconductor and cloud video acceleration sectors.

Professional Background

• Impossible Metals: Founded in 2020, the company aims to collect critical battery metals from the ocean floor using environmentally friendly methods, including underwater robotics and bio-extraction techniques. Oliver has successfully raised over $12 million in seed funding for this venture.12
• NGCodec: Prior to Impossible Metals, he founded NGCodec in 2012, which specialized in cloud video encoding technology. The company was acquired by Xilinx in 2019, yielding a significant return for investors.12
• ARM Holdings: Oliver's career began at ARM in 1994, where he played a crucial role in growing the company's mobile market share from 0% to over 95%. He later served as VP of Corporate Business Development and M&A, overseeing significant acquisitions.12

Education

Oliver holds a Bachelor's degree with honors in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Greenwich, London, and a Mini-MBA from Stanford University’s Executive Institute.13

Contributions and Memberships

As an official member of the Forbes Business Council since November 2022, Oliver shares insights on critical metals supply chain challenges and strategies for achieving net-zero emissions goals through his published articles.24 He is also a co-founder of the MIPI Alliance, which established standards for mobile application processors used widely in smartphones today.13

Innovations

Oliver is recognized as an inventor with two patents related to video technology, showcasing his commitment to innovation throughout his career.12

In summary, Oliver Gunasekara is a visionary leader in the technology sector, dedicated to advancing sustainable practices within the mining industry while leveraging his extensive background in engineering and business development.