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MaverickX

Engineering the future of chemistry for natural resource extraction

MaverickX is a chemical technology company advancing natural resource extraction. The company was founded by Eric Herrera, former Department of Defense scientist, and Jesse Evans, former startup operations manager. As resources become more difficult to extract across the energy and mining sectors, new technologies are needed. MaverickX has a portfolio of chemical solutions -- PetroX and LithX -- to enhance recovery of oil from shale reservoirs and metals from low-grade ores. More oil. More metal. Better chemistry.
Active Founders
Eric Herrera
Eric Herrera
Founder
Synthetic Biologist and Explorer- I'm passionate about using biology in new ways to help change the world.
Jesse Evans
Jesse Evans
Founder
Enhancing critical resource extraction in energy and mining
Company Launches
MaverickX: Next-gen chemicals that break rock to unlock valuable natural resources
See original launch post

Hey YC — we’re Eric and Jesse, co-founders of MaverickX.

MaverickX makes next-generation chemicals that break rock to unlock valuable natural resources — oil and critical metals.

We started in mining. Now we’ve expanded into oil & gas, launching our PetroX™ product line with multiple major operators already under contract.

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🔥 The Problem

American energy production has a math problem:

  • Only 20% of the oil in unconventional shale wells is recovered – 80% of the oil is still underground
  • Operating costs are projected to rise 40% over the next decade, heading toward $95/BBL

And nearly 10% of U.S. oilfield deaths each year are linked to exposure to toxic chemicals still used in daily operations

It’s one of the biggest “old-tech” sectors left untouched by modern science.

⚡ What We Built

MaverickX creates next-gen chemistry that actually removes iron, breaks scale and paraffin, liberates metals and more oil from shale. We reduce operating costs and keep production flowing.

With PetroX, operators are seeing:

  • dramatically cleaner systems
  • lower operating cost
  • reduced downtime
  • safer field operations
  • and the ability to liberate 50%+ more hydrocarbons in certain shale environments

Our chemistry increases shale porosity by up to 40x, allowing oil to move freely where it previously couldn’t. We aren’t just swapping chemicals — we’re rewriting the physics of the reservoir.

⛽ Why Oil & Gas?

Oil is the backbone of our modern economy and demand is only projected to increase.

MaverickX started in mining, building better chemistries to extract metals.
Then the Department of Energy contracted us for a wild project:

“Turn old oil wells into mines. Extract the metals trapped inside.” We did it.

And in that process, we discovered something bigger: Our chemistry didn’t just free metals, it freed hydrocarbons — a lot of them. The moment we saw that, we knew we had to expand into oil & gas. Today we operate in South Texas with production-scale manufacturing and contracts for PetroX™ across multiple operators.

📣 Call to Action

If you operate or know operators of wells, SWDs, or production facilities and want:

  • lower operating cost
  • fewer shutdowns
  • better flow
  • safer, non-toxic chemistry
  • or more oil out of the rock you already control

We want to run a pilot with you.

👉 Email us: founders@maverickx.com

Previous Launches
We extract lithium better than traditional extraction tech for hard rock assets.
Jobs at MaverickX
Austin, TX
$15 / hourly
Sophomore and above
Austin, TX
$70K
3+ years
MaverickX
Founded:2022
Batch:Summer 2022
Team Size:20
Status:
Active
Location:San Antonio, TX