Still Bright moves out of startup incubator to keep its production in New Jersey  

KENILWORTH, N.J., June 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Northeast Science and Technology (NEST) Center will now be the home to Still Bright, Inc, a copper-extraction company developing a cleaner, low-cost alternative to traditional processing. Still Bright will occupy 15,000 square feet of laboratory space at 15 NEST, which will serve as the company's global headquarters.

Still Bright is tackling one of the energy transition's hardest problems. Copper demand is surging, driven by AI data centers, grid expansion, and EVs, but new supply keeps stalling because communities have lost trust in how copper is made. Its patented RACER process is built to change that, recovering up to 99% of the copper from sulfide ore at ambient temperature and pressure, at a fraction of the cost of smelting and with no harmful waste.

The company continues to gather momentum towards delivering its transformational technology to market. Founded in 2022, Still Bright raised $18.7 million in seed funding in 2025 and is now advancing to pilot-scale production, with plans for a demonstration unit capable of producing roughly 500 tonnes of copper per year. Its move out of the HAX Accelerator, the Newark incubator where it proved out the technology, marks the next step towards that goal. NEST gives the company room to bring its chemistry from the bench to pilot manufacturing under one roof.

The space at 15 NEST will support a range of Still Bright's efforts, including:

• Research and development
• Technical testing
• Process advancement
• Corporate operations
• Pilot-scale manufacturing related to its copper extraction technology

"We're entering a decisive period for Still Bright and for the copper industry," said Randy Allen, co-founder and CEO of Still Bright. "We've spent the past few years proving that modern electrochemistry can produce copper with better economics than the status quo. The geological copper is there and the demand is undeniable. What's been missing is a way to produce copper that communities can actually welcome. That's what we built RACER to be, a process that avoids toxic pollutants and converts typical waste streams into valuable co-products to benefit the local economy. Our move to NEST lets us advance our pilot and prepare for global on-site demonstrations, right here in New Jersey."

"Still Bright's move to NEST is exactly the type of growth story this campus was built to support," said Matt Flath, Senior Vice President of Asset Management at Onyx Equities, a joint owner of the campus. "They are graduating from New Jersey's startup ecosystem into a headquarters and pilot-scale manufacturing environment that allows them to keep advancing their technology here in the state. That is a powerful example of how NEST can help retain and scale innovative companies in New Jersey."

Due to the turnkey nature of the space at NEST, Still Bright will occupy the space within 60 days.

About the Northeast Science and Technology (NEST) Center
The Northeast Science and Technology (NEST) Center is a 100+ acre life science campus in Kenilworth, NJ. The campus is purpose-built and zoned for life science innovation, answering a need for immediately available, turn-key, and customizable office, laboratory, and bio-manufacturing space in the tri-state area. For more information about NEST, visit www.NestCenter.com.

About Onyx Equities, LLC
Headquartered in Woodbridge, New Jersey, Onyx Equities, LLC is a leading, full-service real estate firm specializing in investment, asset repositioning and ground-up development. Since its founding in 2004, Onyx has acquired more than $4 billion worth of diverse real estate assets throughout New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, and has executed over $1 billion in capital improvement projects under its signature repositioning program. For more information about Onyx Equities, visit www.OnyxEquites.com.

About Machine Investment Group
Machine Investment Group (MIG) is a real estate investment platform focused on opportunistic, distressed, and special situations across the United States. MIG invests primarily in the middle market, where its reputation as a reliable counterparty, solutions-oriented approach, and extensive direct sourcing relationships distinguish the firm from the competition. MIG's strict risk discipline, institutional operating processes, and sourcing network have been developed and tested over market cycles, overseen by a senior management team with experience managing investment vehicles totaling ~$2.4 billion.  For more information, please visit https://machineinv.com/.

Media Contact:
Jeff Rusack
Sōvyn
Onyx@Sovyn.com

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SOURCE Northeast Science and Technology (NEST)