Overcoming Financing Challenges in Junior Mining: A Conversation with Chris Buncic
In this episode, we chat to Chris Buncic, President & CEO of Condor Resources, who have been in business for more than 18 years as a junior explorer and project generator. The company has been focused exclusively on Peru for the past decade and now has Joint ventured on three projects with other developers Chakana Copper, Element 79 Gold, and Teck Resources, retaining an economic interest in the projects through royalties or minority positions as well as receiving milestone cash payments along the way. Chris is a mechanical engineer and then followed an MBA in finance. His background is in the equity markets before moving into the C-suite over 10 years ago having held CEO positions with a few exploration companies. Now the CEO of Condor Resources since April, he tells us the story behind the company, the key projects they are working on, and what Peru is like as a mining jurisdiction. KEY TAKEAWAYS The company has been focused exclusively on Peru for the past decade, with successful joint ventures on three projects with other developers. Chris's career journey from mechanical engineering to equity markets to CEO positions showcases the importance of being open to reinventing oneself. The difficulty in raising funds for exploration projects due to the current market conditions is impacting junior explorers like Condor Resources. The company is looking to obtain permits for upcoming drill programs at Pucamayo and Huiñac Punta, with a focus on community engagement for the Andrea project. BEST MOMENTS "I think the most important thing I've always thought of in my career is it's important to be able to reinvent yourself." "I think people need to be open to the idea of changing. Everyone can have their long-term goals, but I think it's important to change things up rather than get stuck in something for 30 years." "Peru is a very mining-friendly jurisdiction. They have a very good investment climate." "It's been somewhat self-funding. And, you know, I think that what we're seeing is, well, firstly, we're impacted because other companies are having a hard time raising money for projects that may or may not be good." VALUABLE RESOURCES Mail: rob@mining-international.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/ X: https://twitter.com/MiningRobTyson YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DigDeepTheMiningPodcast Web: http://www.mining-international.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/condor-resources/ X: https://x.com/condorresources Website: www.condorresources.com Contact: info@condorresources.com ABOUT THE HOST Rob Tyson is the Founder and Director of Mining International Ltd, a leading global recruitment and headhunting consultancy based in the UK specialising in all areas of mining across the globe from first-world to third-world countries from Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia. We source, headhunt, and discover new and top talent through a targeted approach and search methodology and have a proven track record in sourcing and positioning exceptional candidates into our clients' organisations in any mining discipline or level. Mining International provides a transparent, informative, and trusted consultancy service to our candidates and clients to help them develop their careers and business goals and objectives in this ever-changing marketplace. CONTACT METHOD rob@mining-international.org https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/ Podcast Description Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people’s experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.