Investors are being urged to look beyond major mining companies for Australia’s next big opportunity.
Investors seeking exposure to Australia’s long-term resources growth should be paying closer attention to smaller mining companies and explorers, according to veteran mining executive Owen Hegarty.
Mr Hegarty will speak at #CapTech2026 in Sydney on 24–25 September 24-25 and Brisbane September 28, where investors, business leaders, innovators and policymakers will meet to explore investment and growth opportunities across multiple sectors.
Mr Hegarty said some of the strongest opportunities in mining could emerge well before a project reaches the scale typically targeted by major institutional investors.
“The future growth of larger corporations often depends on the discoveries of smaller firms,” Mr Hegarty said.
“Those smaller companies make discoveries, they are often acquired or partnered with larger companies, and then their teams move on to find the next opportunity.”
That created an important gap in the market for investors.
While Australia’s large superannuation funds remained active investors in resources, they typically focussed on larger companies and higher market capitalisations, Mr Hegarty said.
That left an opportunity for family offices, sophisticated investors, private capital and smaller institutions to participate earlier in the investment cycle.
“So many of the exploration successes are developed by the smaller guys,” Mr Hegarty said.
“I see it as a virtuous circle in which smaller companies make discoveries, larger companies acquire or develop them, and the smaller players can then move on to the next opportunity.”
Decades of resources demand ahead
Mr Hegarty remained strongly positive about Australia’s resources outlook, saying the country was positioned for “multiple decades of long, strong demand”.
Australia’s mineral endowment, combined with its mining technology, technical expertise, skills base and operating capability, continued to make the sector attractive to domestic and international capital.
He said investor interest was particularly strong from Indonesia, with growing interest from India, as rapidly developing economies look to secure long-term access to resources.
This international demand was expected to create further opportunities for Australian mining and resources companies seeking capital, strategic partnerships and new markets.
Critical minerals could reshape the next decade
Mr Hegarty expected critical minerals and metals would become an increasingly important investment theme over the next decade.
“I expect strong growth in critical minerals and metals, but battery-related commodities can carry additional risks because the technology is still changing quickly,” he said.
The sector is being shaped not only by electrification and renewable energy but also by telecommunications, robotics, miniaturisation, decarbonisation and global competition over strategic supply chains.
Competition between major economies, particularly the United States and China, is also increasing the strategic importance of securing critical mineral supply.
Although critical-mineral markets can be much smaller by volume than commodities such as iron ore, Mr Hegarty said their value can be significant, particularly when processing and downstream capabilities are considered.
“Robotics, miniaturisation and decarbonisation are all areas where progress needs to continue, and critical minerals are vital for all of those areas,” he said.
Traditional commodities remain important
Despite the growing focus on critical minerals, Mr Hegarty expected continued strong demand for major commodities including iron ore and copper.
He also remained positive about gold.
Gold, he said, had a unique investment role because it could operate as a commodity, a currency, a store of value and a hedge against risk.
For investors considering larger mining companies, Mr Hegarty favoured exposure to businesses with quality assets, strong management teams and commodities supported by long-term demand.
At the smaller end of the market, however, one factor became particularly important.
Management
“The first things I look at are who the people are, what they have done and what their track record is,” he said.
For investors considering earlier-stage resource opportunities, understanding the people behind a project can be just as important as understanding the resource itself.
Connecting investors with opportunity
Mr Hegarty said #CapTech2026 offered investors an opportunity to engage with businesses, projects, emerging technologies and leaders from across Australia and international markets.
“CapTech is an ideal platform because it brings together capital, technology, opportunity and innovation across multiple sectors, not just mining,” he said.
For investors, the event is designed to provide access not only to established market leaders, but also to businesses and opportunities that may be entering their next stage of growth.
#CapTech2026 is hosted by SIPBN – Sydney Investors, Professionals and Business Network.
Dates
Sydney: 24–25 September 2026
Brisbane: 28 September 2026
Learn more and register to attend: https://sipbn.com.au/captech2026-aus/
