With the RIU Explorers Conference in Fremantle just around the corner, Venari Minerals (ASX:VMS) is looking forward to gaining exposure to a broader range of investors next week, CEO Matthew Healy tells Mining.com.au.
Healy says he signed the company up to attend the conference after experiencing the Sydney program.
“This is my first time at the Fremantle conference, but I attended the RIU Investor Roadshow in Sydney, which was a well-run conference with a great crowd,” Healy tells this news service.
Venari is presenting at 8.35m AWST on the closing day of the conference, which is held from 17-19 February at the Esplanade Hotel Fremantle by Rydges in Western Australia.
The presentation follows Venari’s recent return of a maiden resource estimate for the Red Mountain Lithium Project in Nevada.
As reported by Mining.com.au earlier this month, the project hosts a resource of 500 million tonnes @ 1,139 parts per million for 3.03 million tonnes of contained lithium carbonate equivalent.
Healy tells Mining.com.au a key theme of his presentation at the conference next week is this “milestone” of returning a maiden resource estimate for Red Mountain.
“My focus is on creating value through drilling and advancing this project to technical studies this year,” Healy explains.
The lithium market has seen a 74% increase for this year over year, recorded at ¥134,500 ($27,606) on 9 February 2026, according to Trading Economics.
Lithium plays a key function in batteries for its light weight that enables high energy storage in compact forms.
Currently, the commodity’s use in electric vehicles drives the global demand, with an increased need in battery energy storage systems (BESS) expected in the coming years, as reported by Mining.com.au.
In Australia, the Electric Vehicle Council recorded a 38% increase to EV sales in 2025 with more than 157,000 vehicles sold across the year.
“What we are seeing now, with multiple commodity markets running simultaneously, is the product of, in some cases, decades of underinvestment in exploration and resource expansion,” Healy adds.
“Along with some volatility, I expect this year to be largely bullish for resource companies.”
Venari Minerals is a diversified mineral explorer focused primarily on lithium, gold, and silver in the US.
The company is attending the RIU Explorers Conference in Fremantle, Western Australia, held from 17-19 February 2026.
Mining.com.au is a media partner for the conference.
Write to Maddison Elliott at Mining.com.au
Images: Venari Minerals
