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Good afternoon, and welcome to Stardust Power Inc.'s Q2 2026 earnings call. My name is Tawanda, and I'll be your operator today. Before this call, Stardust Power issued its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2026.

Joining us on today's call are Stardust Power's Founder and CEO, Roshan Pujari, and CFO, Uday Devasper. Following their remarks, we will open the call for questions. Before we begin, Johanna Gonzalez, Stardust Power's Director of Investor Relations and Communications, will make a brief introductory statement. Ms. Gonzalez, please proceed.

Thank you, operator, and good afternoon, everyone. Before management begins their formal remarks today, we would like to remind everyone that some statements we're making today may be considered forward-looking statements under securities laws and involve a number of risks and uncertainties.

As a result, we caution you that there are a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results, outcomes, and events, and the timings of such results, outcomes, and events to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements.

For more detailed risks, uncertainties, and assumptions related to our forward-looking statements, please see the disclosures in our earnings release and public filings made with the SEC. We disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made, except as required by law.

We refer you to our filings with the SEC for detailed disclosures and descriptions of our business, as well as uncertainties and other variable circumstances, including, but not limited to risks and uncertainties identified under the caption "Risk Factors" in our recent filings.

You may get Stardust Power's SEC filings by visiting the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. I would like to remind everyone that this call is being recorded and will be made available for replay via a link available in the investor relations section of the Stardust Power website. Now, I will turn the call over to Stardust Power CEO, Roshan Pujari.

Thank you, Johanna, and good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for joining us today. During the second quarter, we continued to advance commercial relationships, project development activities, and financing initiatives that are fundamental to moving the Stardust Power lithium refinery towards construction.

While lithium prices have strengthened from the lows experienced in late 2025, we still view the market through a long-term lens. The strategic importance of establishing a secure domestic critical mineral supply chain continues to be reinforced by wider industry investment and U.S. government support, and our focus remains on positioning Stardust Power to participate in that long-term opportunity. We've said previously, building a large-scale industrial project is a disciplined process that progresses through a series of technical, commercial, and financing milestones.

While we might not always be able to give public announcement on those milestones, our focus remains on the planning work that meaningfully reduces project risk, strengthens the project path towards financing, and supports long-term value creation for our shareholders.

We remain disciplined in how we allocate our time and resources, with our efforts centered on the commercial, strategic, and financing activities that will position the project for construction. This afternoon, I'll provide an update on our progress during the quarter before turning the call over to Uday to review our financial results in more detail.

Our work during the quarter centered on activities that improve project readiness, reduce execution risk, and strengthen the refinery's path towards financing and construction. The company engaged third-party contractors to perform geotechnical and subsurface investigations at our Muskogee site to identify and test specific locations for load verification efforts.

This work supports detailed design and constructability planning while reducing execution risks and strengthening progress. Importantly, with key permits already in place, including those required for construction and commissioning, these activities further position the refinery for EPC as commercial and financing milestones are achieved.

We were pleased to be selected as the industrial partner in a U.S. Department of Energy-funded research initiative led by Ohio University, focused on next-generation lithium extraction technologies.

This collaboration strengthens our position within the domestic critical minerals ecosystem while supporting the evaluation of potential future domestic feedstock sources. Alongside these project development activities, we continue to move forward our government, industry, and community engagement efforts. During the quarter, we continued to strengthen our engagement across the Muskogee community and the state of Oklahoma through a range of workforce, regulatory, and community initiatives.

We were proud to sponsor and participate in events including Muskogee Public Service Recognition Week and the Muskogee Fair, while also engaging with state environmental leaders through the Environmental Federation of Oklahoma Regulatory Newsreel and participating in workforce development discussions focused on building Oklahoma's future manufacturing talent pipeline.

In June, our Managing Director for Oklahoma, John Riesenberg, graduated from the nine-month Leadership Muskogee program, further strengthening the company's relationships across local government, business, and community organizations. Well done, John.

These initiatives are all an important part of preparing for the future operation of the refinery. Building strong relationships with local leaders, regulatory agencies, educational institutions, and community organizations helps establish the partnerships needed to support workforce development, operational readiness, and the long-term success of the project.

Following the quarter end, members of our executive team recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with Oklahoma's congressional delegation and representatives from key federal agencies. These discussions reinforce the strategic importance of expanding domestic critical mineral processing capacity and the role Stardust Power can play in supporting a more secure U.S. battery material supply chain.

Beyond engineering and execution planning, we strengthened the commercial and strategic foundations of the project during the quarter. Our discussions with prospective feedstock suppliers, potential offtake counterparties, government stakeholders, and potential strategic financing partners remained active throughout the quarter.

While there are no material developments to announce at this time, these discussions continue as we assemble the commercial, technical, and strategic elements necessary to support project financing and the long-term development of the refinery.

Construction financing remains our highest corporate priority, and our team continues to focus on the commercial, technical, and strategic work required to position the project for future financing opportunities while maintaining a disciplined approach to capital allocation. Looking ahead, our priorities remain unchanged. First, we will continue strengthening the commercial and strategic foundations that support project financing.

Second, we will continue progressing engineering and site readiness to further mature the project and reduce execution risk. Third, we will continue expanding relationships across the domestic critical mineral ecosystem with prospective customers, feedstock suppliers, strategic partners, and government stakeholders.

We recognize that shareholders remain focused on our progress towards financing and long-term project execution. We remain committed to communicating material developments as they occur. Large industrial projects are built through disciplined execution across a series of commercial, technical, and financing milestones.

While those milestones are not always visible quarter to quarter, our attention remains on the work that meaningfully improves the project's readiness and positions Stardust Power for long-term success.

We remain confident in the strategic positioning of the Muskogee refinery and believe the work completed this quarter further strengthens the project long-term financing and development pathway. With that, I'll hand over to our CFO, Uday Devasper.

Thank you, Roshan. Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for joining our earnings call for the Q2 2026 earnings period. Before we begin, I want to clarify that we will not be providing forward-looking guidance or estimates during this call. Our focus will be on discussing our past performance and the current state of our business. We encourage you to refer to our filings with the SEC for more detailed information.

During and subsequent to Q2 2026, we continued to make meaningful progress in strengthening our financial position and expanding our access to capital. We remain focused on maintaining the flexibility needed to support our near-term operating requirements while positioning the company to advance key commercial and project opportunities. In Q1 2026, we established a $10 million equity line of credit or ELOC with B.

Riley Principal Capital II, providing the company with the ability to access capital over time at our discretion, subject to market conditions and the terms of the agreement. In Q2 2026, we also established a $5 million at-the-market or ATM equity program with B. Riley Securities, giving us an additional capital-raising tool to support working capital and project advancement.

Since establishing the ELOC facility, we have successfully utilized it to generate approximately $1.35 million of additional capital proceeds. We also selectively utilized our ATM facility during the quarter as well, raising approximately $161,000 in gross proceeds, while subsequent to quarter end, we have continued to access our available capital market facilities. As of the date of our 10-Q filing, the ATM facility had generated an additional approximately $2.9 million in net proceeds.

Together, these facilities enhance our financial flexibility as we continue advancing commercial discussions and pursuing broader project financing initiatives. Turning now to our financial results for the second quarter of 2026.

The company remains pre-revenue as we continue to advance development of the Muskogee refinery. As previously disclosed, our ability to meet working capital and capital expenditure requirements over the next 12 months remains dependent on our ability to raise additional capital, equity, debt, or other financing sources.

As of June 30, 2026, we had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $0.5 million, compared to $3.5 million as of December 31, 2025. The change reflects funding operating activities and continued investment in advancing the Muskogee refinery during the first half of the year. Throughout the quarter, we remained disciplined in managing operating expenditures while continuing to invest in activities that support engineering, commercial development, and long-term project value.

For the second quarter, we reported a net loss of $3.9 million, compared to $3.7 million in the prior year period. The year-over-year increase primarily reflects financing-related costs associated with our capital structure, partially offset by favorable changes in the fair value of our warrant liability. General and administrative expenses continue to support engineering, commercial, and corporate activities as we advance the project.

Our basic and diluted loss per share was $0.35, compared to $0.59 in the prior year quarter, primarily reflecting the higher weighted average shares outstanding following capital raises completed over the past year. For the first six months of 2026, net cash used in operating activities was $4 million, compared to $4.5 million during the same period in 2025, reflecting continued investment in advancing the business while maintaining disciplined cash management.

Net cash used in investing activities totaled $0.2 million for the first six months of 2026, compared to $2.2 million in the prior year period, primarily reflecting a more disciplined and phased deployment of capital as the project continues to advance through engineering validation.

With several important project development milestones achieved, including completion of final major permitting and FEL-3 engineering, our current investment profile is increasingly focused on targeted pre-construction and strategic development activities as we position the Muskogee refinery for construction.

Net cash provided by financing activities was $1.3 million, compared to $8.4 million in the first six months of 2025, reflecting proceeds from our equity facilities, partially offset by debt repayments. The prior year period benefited from increased proceeds from public offerings completed during the first half of 2025.

Regarding our compliance with Nasdaq listing requirements, we continue to actively evaluate all available alternatives to address our continued listing requirements, including those relating to minimum market value thresholds. We remain committed to maintaining our Nasdaq listing while acting in the best interest of our shareholders.

To conclude, while we remain a pre-revenue company, our financial priorities remain clear: maintaining disciplined liquidity management, advancing project readiness, and supporting a broader financing strategy for our refinery. We believe the financing tools now in place, together with continued commercial execution and project execution, provide a solid foundation as we pursue the next stage of development. As always, we remain committed to disciplined capital allocation, prudent liquidity management, and creating long-term value for our shareholders. With that, I conclude my remarks and now turn it back to Roshan.

Thanks, Uday. Before we conclude, I'd like to reiterate that our focus remains on disciplined execution and advancing the work that meaningfully strengthens the project's path toward financing and construction. Thank you to our shareholders for your continued support in Stardust Power. We appreciate your time today and look forward to updating you on our progress next quarter. With that, we are happy to take your questions. Operator?

Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, to ask a question, please press star one one on your telephone, then wait for your name to be announced. To withdraw your question, please press star one one again. Please stand by while we compile the Q&A roster. That's star one one to ask the question. I'm showing no questions in the queue. Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes today's conference call. Thank you for your participation. You may now disconnect.

Good afternoon, and welcome to Stardust Power Inc.'s Q1 2026 earnings call. My name is Tawanda, and I'll be your operator today. Before this call, Stardust Power issued its financial results for the quarter ending March 31st, 2026. Joining us on today's call are Stardust Power's Founder and CEO, Roshan Pujari, and CFO, Uday Devasper. Following their remarks, we will open the call for questions. Before we begin, Johanna Gonzalez, Stardust Power Director of Investor Relations and Communications, will make a brief introductory statement. Ms. Gonzalez, please proceed.

Thank you, operator, and good afternoon, everyone. Before management begins their formal remarks today, we would like to remind everyone that some statements we're making today may be considered forward-looking statements under securities laws and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. As a result, we caution you that there are a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results, outcomes, and events, and the timings of such results, outcomes, and events to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. For more detailed risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to our forward-looking statements, please see the disclosures in our earnings release and public filings made with the SEC. We disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made, except as required by law.

We refer you to our filings with the SEC for detailed disclosures and descriptions of our business, as well as uncertainties and other variable circumstances, including, but not limited to, risks and uncertainties identified under the caption Risk Factors in our recent filings. You may get Stardust Power's SEC filings by visiting the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. I would like to remind everyone this call is being recorded and will be made available for replay via a link available in the investor relations section of Stardust Power's website. Now, I will turn the call over to Stardust Power CEO, Roshan Pujari.

Thank you, Johanna, thank you everyone for joining us today. Q1 marks a clear transition for Stardust Power from materially de-risking the project to advancing financing and execution. The core dynamic hasn't changed. The constraint in the U.S. lithium supply chain is not resource availability, it's refining capacity. That's the critical gap our Muskogee refinery will address. Let me briefly frame where we are today. The project is now advanced across key areas that matter for financing and execution. From a permitting standpoint, we have received our air quality construction permit, which enables construction of the refinery to start once financed. This is a critical milestone that provides clarity on the regulatory path forward. On engineering, we have completed our FEL 3 study, which defines the technical scope, cost framework, and execution plan for the project.

That work has also been supported by an independent third-party review, validating the design approach and overall project readiness. On the commercial side, we have advanced feedstock supply with multiple LOI agreements in place and ongoing discussions to further build out a diversified supply base. A strength of our model is to aggregate supply to limit dependence on single asset supply risk. From a site and infrastructure perspective, we have secured key elements required to support construction and operations, including utility support at our Muskogee location. Taken together, these milestones position the project to move into the next phase with a clear focus on financing and execution. With that context, let me highlight some of the key developments and work streams advanced during the quarter and into the subsequent period. During the quarter, we continued to advance the Muskogee Lithium Refinery across financing, project development, and strategic positioning.

A key milestone was securing our minor source air quality construction permit, representing the final major permit required for construction and commissioning to start alongside completion of FEL 3 engineering and third-party validation last year. The permit was only required to be a minor source permit, speaking to the limited emissions we shall produce. Our design does not require any smoke stacks. In parallel, we expanded our government engagement efforts in Washington, D.C., supporting our positioning within U.S. critical minerals and energy policy initiatives. We engaged Founders Group Policy to deepen our connectivity in the nation's capital, and we were invited to the White House to discuss our project and its role in supporting America's national security. We continue to engage constructively with key stakeholders, including government and industry partners. There remains strong alignment between our mission to onshore critical material processing and a number of available government-supported programs.

We also made meaningful progress in capital formation. During the quarter, we secured access to up to $15 million in an equity financing facility, providing near-term flexibility as we advance broader funding efforts. Building on this, we announced a letter of intent with an institutional investor supporting up to $150 million in project-level financing. This represents an initial step in assembling the project's capital stack. This reinforces our strategy to structure financing at the asset level. We are aligning capital with the refinery while managing dilution at the public company level and supporting a transparent market-driven valuation. On the commercial side, we continued to advance our feedstock readiness and broader supply ecosystem. We entered into an LOI to secure up to 15,000 metric tons per annum of lithium chloride feedstock from a U.S.-based brine project in California.

This meaningful step further strengthens our domestic supply pipeline and supports our hub-and-spoke sourcing model. Together, with other agreements already in place, establishes a clear pathway to supply phase one requirements and beyond. Our centrally located refinery, combined with established multimodal logistics, positions us to efficiently source feedstock from a wide range of geographies. In addition, we joined both the Cornerstone Consortium and the Lithium Regional Innovation Cluster, expanding our engagement across industry, government, and technology partners. The Cornerstone Consortium provides a direct pathway into U.S. Defense and National Security-focused supply chain initiatives. The Lithium Regional Innovation Cluster connects us with leading institutions advancing lithium processing, innovation, and commercialization. Together, these memberships strengthen our positioning as a leader of a more resilient and domestically anchored lithium ecosystem.

Overall, these developments reflect clear momentum in de-risking the project, advancing both the capital stack and feedstock pipeline, and positioning Stardust Power as a key participant in the emerging domestic lithium refining ecosystem as we move toward major construction. Over the past quarter, we've continued to deepen our engagement across the Muskogee community and with key stakeholders at both the state and federal level. We were proud to support Muskogee Day at the Capitol, where local business leaders engaged directly with senior policymakers, and to participate in a roundtable with Senator Lankford's focused U.S. trade policy, global competitiveness, and the broader industrial landscape. These decisions are important as we continue to position the project within the context of the domestic supply chain development and evolving policy priorities. At the local level, we've remained actively engaged with the community and civic leadership in Muskogee.

From participating in Leadership Muskogee's government session to co-sponsoring the Greater Muskogee Chamber's annual banquet, we're focused on building strong, long-term relationships in the region. We also had the opportunity to support the next generation through programs like Generation Citizen, where our team engaged with students working on community-based initiatives. These efforts reflect our broader approach of advancing the project while staying closely aligned with the communities and stakeholders that will be integral to its long-term success. Turning to financing, this is our primary focus as we move into the next phase of the project. Our strategy is clear. The majority of the capital required to construct the refinery is expected to be raised at the project level rather than the corporate level. This approach is designed to align capital with the asset, optimize the capital structure, and limit dilution for public shareholders.

We are advancing discussions with a range of potential partners with the objective of bringing in a strategic partner who can reinforce project valuation and core commercial terms. From there, we expect to build broader financing through a combination of additional capital participation and syndication. By leveraging proven and established technology, the project is eligible for a higher debt component for project finance, ranging from 70%-80% of total funding needs. In parallel, we are engaging across multiple channels, including strategic investors, debt provider, and potential government-supported programs as we work to structure a balanced and durable capital stack. Throughout this process, we remain disciplined in our approach, focused on capital efficiency, alignment with long-term partners, and minimizing dilution at the corporate level.

With key de-risking milestones now in place, we believe the project is well-positioned to advance these financing discussions. With that framework in place, let me turn to our near-term priorities as we move toward execution. Looking ahead, our priorities are clear and focused on execution. First, we are advancing project-level financing, which remains the key milestone to move the refinery into construction. In parallel, we are progressing EPC planning and detailed engineering work to ensure we are ready to move efficiently once financing is in place. On the commercial side, we continue to advance feedstock and potential offtake discussions to support long-term operational readiness. At the same time, we are preparing the site for construction with a focus on disciplined execution across schedule, cost, and overall project delivery.

The path forward is well-defined, and our focus is on executing these milestones to move the project into its next phase of major construction. With that, I'll hand over to Uday Devasper, our CFO.

Thank you, Roshan, good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for joining our earnings call for the Q1 2026 period. Before we begin, I want to clarify that we will not be providing forward-looking guidance or estimates during this call. Our focus will be on discussing our past performance and the current state of our business. We encourage you to refer to our filings with the SEC for more detailed information. During the quarter, we continued to strengthen our capital flexibility and liquidity position while maintaining a disciplined approach to cash and expense management. We entered into a $10 million synthetic ATM facility with B. Riley Principal Capital II, LLC, under which we drew approximately $1 million during and subsequent to the quarter end, providing us with efficient access to growth capital while minimizing dilution.

In addition, subsequent to quarter end, our shelf registration statement on Form S-3 was declared effective by the SEC, further enhancing our financing flexibility and broadening our access to the capital markets. We also entered into a separate ATM program with B. Riley Securities, Inc. for up to $5 million, giving us an additional opportunistic funding mechanism as we execute on our strategic priorities. Importantly, throughout the quarter, we remain highly focused on aligning our spending with near-term operational milestones while preserving the flexibility needed to support long-term value creation for shareholders. Now turning to the financials for Q1 2026. The company remains pre-revenue as we continue to advance development of the Muskogee refinery. As previously disclosed, our ability to meet working capital and capital expenditure requirements over the next 12 months remains dependent on our ability to raise additional capital through equity, debt, or other financing sources.

For the quarter ended March 31, 2026, or Q1 2026, net loss was $5.2 million compared to $3.8 million for the same period in the prior year, primarily driven by changes in the fair value of warrant liabilities and expense related to our Q4 2025 debt financing, partially offset by lower general and administrative expenses. Net cash used in operating activities totaled $2.1 million for the quarter, compared to $2.9 million in the prior year. Despite a higher reported net loss year-over-year, operating cash usage improved as a result of disciplined cost controls, favorable timing of working capital activity, and the impact of non-operating and non-cash items embedded within reported earnings. Net cash used in investing activities was $0.2 million for the quarter, compared to $1 million in the prior year.

The year-over-year decrease reflects a more disciplined and phased deployment of capital as the project continues to advance through engineering validation, financing, and feedstock development milestones. With key de-risking activities substantially completed, including final major permitting and FEL 3 engineering work, our current investment profile is increasingly focused on targeted preconstruction and strategic development activities as we position the Muskogee Refinery for the next phase of execution. Net cash used in financing activities was insignificant at $4,000 for the current quarter, compared to $4.5 million provided in the prior year. The relatively flat financing cash flow this quarter reflects the strength of the capital foundation established through financings completed late last year, as well as the amounts raised through the B. Riley synthetic ATM facility mentioned above, which supported our liquidity position and reduced the need for incremental capital raises during the period.

Overall, our financial results and cash flow this quarter reflect a disciplined and measured approach to advancing the Muskogee Refinery while maintaining focus on liquidity management and capital efficiency. We continue to prioritize expenditures tied directly to project de-risking, financing readiness, and long-term value creation. As we move into the next stage of development, we expect operating expenses to increase in a deliberate manner as we expand organizational capabilities, advance engineering and commercial activities, and position the project for major construction and execution. Importantly, we believe the milestones achieved during the quarter have further strengthened the foundation of the project and enhanced our strategic positioning within the domestic critical mineral supply chain. Looking ahead, our focus remains on disciplined capital allocation, maintaining financial flexibility, and advancing toward larger-scale project financing while positioning the company for its next phase of growth and execution. With that, I conclude my remarks.

I will turn it back over to you, Roshan.

Thank you, Uday. To close, we've done the work to materially de-risk the project. The focus now is on financing and moving into major construction. We believe we have the right asset at the right time and are addressing a clear and growing gap in the U.S. lithium supply chain. We have a team that is laser-focused on execution. We are advancing the project toward building a critical piece of U.S. infrastructure that can materially strengthen the domestic supply chain. The next key catalyst is straightforward, advancing financing of the refinery. Our focus is on execution. We believe that investing into the project, whether it is to further de-risk or prepare for major construction, is the best way to drive long-term shareholder value. The economics are clear. Producing up to 50,000 metric tons per annum with prices today around $28,500 is a clear recipe for value.

Thank you for your continued support. We will now open the call for questions.

Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, to ask a question, please press star one one on your telephone, then wait for your name to be announced. To withdraw your question, please press star one one again. Please stand by while we compile the Q&A roster. I am showing no questions in the queue. Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes today's conference call. Thank you for your participation. You may now disconnect.

Good afternoon and welcome to Stardust Power Inc.'s Year-End 2025 Earnings Call. My name is Tawanda, and I'll be your operator today. Before this call, Stardust Power issued its financial results for the year-end 2025. Joining us on today's call are Stardust Power's Founder and CEO, Roshan Pujari, and CFO, Uday Devasper. Following their remarks, we will open the call for questions. Before we begin, Johanna Gonzalez, Stardust Power's Director of Investor Relations and Communications, will make a brief introductory statement. Ms. Gonzalez, please proceed.

Thank you, operator, and good afternoon, everyone. Before management begins their formal remarks today, we would like to remind everyone that some statements we're making today may be considered forward-looking statements under securities laws and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. As a result, we caution you that there are a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results, outcomes, and events and the timing of such results, outcomes, and events to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. For more detailed risks, uncertainties, and assumptions relating to our forward-looking statements, please see the disclosures in our earnings release and public filings made with the SEC. We disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made, except as required by law.

We refer you to our filings with the SEC for detailed disclosures and descriptions of our business, as well as uncertainties and other variable circumstances, including, but not limited to risks and uncertainties identified under the caption "Risk Factors" in our recent filings. You may get Stardust Power's SEC filings by visiting the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. I would like to remind everyone this call is being recorded and will be made available for replay via a link available in the investor relations section of Stardust Power's website. Now I turn the call over to Stardust Power CEO, Roshan Pujari.

Thank you, Johanna. Before we begin, you may have seen that we issued our results slightly earlier this quarter. We did that to give investors additional time to review the information ahead of today's call and to accommodate scheduling logistics for the management team. 2025 was a foundational year for Stardust Power, one defined by execution, de-risking, and building the operational, technical, and regulatory base required to advance one of the largest planned lithium refineries in the United States and positioning the project for its next phase of development, including project financing. The reality is simple. The U.S. cannot scale grid storage, AI infrastructure, defense electrification, or EVs without secure access to battery-grade lithium. Today, batteries represent the overwhelming majority of global lithium demand.

Yet the bottleneck is not access to raw lithium, but the ability to process it into battery-grade lithium carbonate at scale reliably and with an American control. This critical gap in the supply chain is what Stardust Power is built to solve. This opportunity is exactly what our refinery project in Muskogee is focused on. Before turning back to our project, let me briefly comment on the broader lithium market backdrop. The lithium demand outlook remains structurally strong and increasingly diversified. According to Fastmarkets research, global lithium-ion battery demand grew roughly 20% in 2025, driven by both EVs and rapidly expanding battery energy storage systems. While EVs still represent the majority of demand, stationary storage is now emerging as one of the fastest-growing segments, particularly in North America, as grid-scale deployment accelerates.

This diversification is broadening the demand base and supporting a more durable long-term growth profile for the sector. However, while upstream lithium production continues to expand across North America, downstream processing capacity has not kept pace, creating a critical bottleneck in converting raw lithium into battery-grade materials and strengthening domestic supply chain resilience. On pricing, we are seeing a clear improvement from last year. Battery-grade lithium carbonate is currently trading in the $24,000 per metric ton range, up three times from its lows in 2025. While some short-term volatility is always possible, long-term price stabilization is taking place. Demand remains strong across both energy storage markets and EVs, and pricing is finding balance at more sustainable levels. In North America, domestically processed battery materials can also command a premium, reflecting growing demand for secure and localized supply chains.

Before walking through the progress across the project, I want to briefly frame how we are thinking about the next phase of development. With key engineering, permitting, and early commercial milestones now in place, we are transitioning into the next stage of the project. Our focus is on securing project level financing aligned with construction, where the majority of the capital required for the refinery is expected to be funded through a combination of debt and strategic equity at the project level rather than the corporate level. We are actively advancing discussions across multiple channels, including strategic partners, debt providers, and potential government supported programs with the objective of establishing an optimal capital structure. With that in mind, let me walk you through the progress we have made in the business. Over the past year, we advanced the project across operations, permitting, engineering, infrastructure, commercial strategy, and team development.

Overall de-risking of the project for the Muskogee Lithium Refinery. Throughout 2025, we focused on systematically strengthening the company across the key areas that institutional investors, strategic partners and government stakeholders look for in domestic critical minerals project, leadership, technical readiness, permitting clarity, infrastructure access and commercial credibility. On leadership and execution, we appointed Chris Celano as Chief Operating Officer, bringing a strong track record delivering large scale industrial projects. We strengthened our technical bench with the addition of Ken Pitts as Director of Construction and Subcontracts, and we continued expanding lithium specific expertise to deepen execution capability. We also welcomed Carlos Urquiaga as Senior Advisor to support our financial capital strategy and project financing initiatives. In January 2026, we added Bruce Czachor as General Counsel, who brings deep lithium industry experience from Piedmont Lithium, supporting large scale project development and financing.

Strategically, we advanced multiple initiatives that supported long term competitiveness and project success, including an exclusive licensing agreement for a lithium brine material concentration technology from KMX Technologies, an agreement with Ohio State to advance lithium refining technologies, and expanded our external capabilities through government relations support from 38 North Solutions. At the same time, we continued advancing the project across several key engineering and infrastructure milestones. From an engineering standpoint, Stardust Power completed the Front-End Loading 3 or FEL-3 study with Primero USA for the Muskogee refinery, a major milestone in advancing the project towards final investment decision. The FEL-3 provides the technical cost and execution framework needed to proceed with project planning and financing. In addition, we completed an independent review of our Muskogee Lithium Refinery from Black & Veatch, a highly respected engineering firm.

That independent work provided further validation that our project approach is aligned with industry standards and supports our commitment to disciplined third-party verified project development. We also made important progress on infrastructure readiness, including finalizing a key 40 MW infrastructure will-serve agreement with the Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company. This is a meaningful step towards ensuring the project can access the utilities and energy infrastructure required to support a large-scale refining operation. In parallel with engineering work, we made important progress towards reducing regulatory risk through the permitting process. A major focus in 2025 was reducing regulatory uncertainty and advancing permitting clarity. Over the year, we confirmed that no industrial wastewater discharge permit is expected to be required for the Oklahoma Lithium facility. We do not expect to create material water emissions.

We intend to utilize zero liquid discharge technology designed to avoid material waterways. This is an important outcome that supports both project feasibility and environmental responsibility. Our Muskogee refinery is designed with a closed loop water system that recycles processed water and eliminates wastewater discharge. We believe that this design is not only environmentally responsible, but also is operationally practical for long term facility operations. It reduces the need to source large volumes of water from municipalities. Our goal is to be responsible with our resources. Together, these permitting achievements reflect a deliberate strategy to reduce major regulatory unknowns early so that the project's path to construction and commissioning is clear, credible and measurable. This work progressed steadily throughout the year and culminated in several key milestones toward the end of the year and shortly thereafter.

In the fourth quarter and subsequent recent months, we delivered several of the most important milestones of the year, including material progress on supply, third-party validation, team strength, and permitting. On the commercial front, we announced two supply agreements for up to 13,500 metric tons of lithium carbonate equivalent. These agreements represent meaningful progress towards securing strategic North American lithium supply in support of our broader objective of building a resilient domestic refining value chain. Upstream production has been ramping up in America and North America. Major oil and gas companies have entered the market and are aggressive with schedules and timelines. We see new wells being drilled all over the U.S. in Arkansas, Texas, Nevada, among other places. However, no significant new processing capacity has come online or is expected to come online in the immediate future.

Stardust Power seeks to solve this critical gap in the supply chain. We also completed the independent third-party review from Black & Veatch, which determined that the project has low technical and design risk and that phase one production targets are deemed achievable. We believe that such third-party confirmation is an important signal for project credibility and for future stakeholders evaluating the refinery's readiness. Most significantly, we received our air quality construction permit from the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality or ODEQ. This permit allows the project to proceed with construction and commissioning, and we believe materially reduces regulatory timeline risk for the project. The ODEQ review confirmed the refinery qualifies as a minor source under state and federal air regulations, reflecting the facility's anticipated emissions controls, monitoring systems, and environmental safeguards.

The air permit builds on prior approvals, including ODEQ's approval of our stormwater permit and stormwater pollution prevention plan. Concurrently with the permitting process, we are also advancing work on the site. At the start of 2025, we held a ceremonial groundbreaking at the project site. This reflects something tangible. The project has progressed beyond concept and planning and is the next phase of development. With the air quality construction permit now in hand, our focus is advancing towards final investment decision and detailed design. Once fully operational, the refinery is expected to produce up to 50,000 metric tons per year of battery-grade lithium carbonate at full nameplate capacity, supporting the rapidly growing American market. As we advance the refinery project towards construction, maintaining strong alignment and relationships with our community and government partners continues to be an important focus for Stardust Power.

Over the last several months, we've continued to be active in the Muskogee community and across the broader critical minerals policy landscape. Our team participated in several regional and industry forums, including the Arkansas Lithium Summit, and engaged with business leaders and policymakers through Oklahoma State Chamber and Tulsa Regional Chamber initiatives focused on economic development, energy policy, and strengthening domestic critical mineral supply chains. Locally, we continued building strong relationships with community leaders and workforce organizations through programs like Leadership Muskogee and the Greater Muskogee Manufacturers Alliance. We were also proud to sponsor the Greater Muskogee Education Consortium's Mathematics and Engineering Design Competition, where nearly 500 students from nine schools took part. Stardust Power donated the event's main prize, and our team had the opportunity to connect directly with students interested in careers in science, engineering, and advanced manufacturing.

At the federal level, we also participated in a Department of Energy workforce initiative and provided input to the Defense Industrial Base Consortium on strengthening the domestic critical mineral supply chain. These efforts reflect our commitment to being an active partner in the communities where we operate while supporting the development of a strong U.S. battery material supply chain. We have also spent time in Washington, D.C., through a series of meetings with officials at the White House, the Office of the United States Trade Representative, and the U.S. Department of Energy to discuss the role domestic lithium processing can play in strengthening U.S. battery supply chains and supporting both economic and national security priorities as the United States works to onshore critical mineral supply chains. With that, I'll turn it over to Uday to review our financial performance for the quarter.

Thank you, Roshan. Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for joining our earnings call for the year ended 2025. Before we begin, I want to clarify that we will not be providing forward-looking guidance or estimates during this call. Our focus will be on discussing our past performance and the current state of our business. We encourage you to refer to our filings with the SEC for more detailed information about our financial performance and risk factors associated with the business. First, a few developments during the quarter and subsequent to the year-end. In October 2025, we entered into a warrant exchange agreement with an institutional investor to simplify our capital structure and reduce potential dilution.

Under this agreement, the investor exchanged warrants originally issued in March 2025, representing the right to purchase approximately 58,000 shares of common stock for approximately 731,000 newly issued shares of common stock, and the transaction was completed with the cash consideration from investors. Upon closing, the warrants were surrendered and fully canceled. In connection with this transaction, the company incurred $75,000 in fees directly related to executing the exchange. In December 2025, we entered into a securities purchase agreement with Lind Global Asset Management 13, providing up to $15 million of senior secured convertible debt financing.

At the initial closing, we received gross proceeds of approximately $4 million in exchange for issuing a senior secured convertible note with a principal amount of $4.8 million, along with a warrant to purchase approximately 411,000 shares of common stock. The financing provides additional capital to support the company's development activities and operational needs as we advance our strategic initiatives. In December 2025, we also entered into a letter agreement with B. Riley Principal Capital II, pursuant to which the parties mutually agreed to terminate the B. Riley purchase agreement as amended, and the related B. Riley registration rights agreement entered into in October 2024. During the year ended December 31, 2025, we issued 638,048 shares of common stock, aggregating to net proceeds of $2.1 million.

Subsequent to the year-end, we entered into a synthetic ATM facility with B. Riley Principal Capital II, which allows the company to sell up to $10 million of newly issued shares of common stock from time to time. This facility provides us with additional financial flexibility as we continue to execute our long-term strategy. Turning to the financials for the year ended December 31, 2025. The company is pre-revenue currently. As reported in our filings previously, our ability to meet working capital and capital expenditure requirements for the next 12 months is dependent upon our plan to raise additional capital from issuers of equity or receive borrowings to fund the company's operating and investing activities over the next year.

As of December 31, 2025, we had cash and cash equivalents of $3.5 million on hand, compared to $913,000 as of December 31, 2024. For the year ended December 31, 2025, the company incurred a net loss of $15.7 million compared to a net loss of $23.8 million incurred in the prior year ended December 31, 2024. The improvement was primarily driven by lower financing charges and reduced general and administrative expenses compared to the prior year, which included certain costs associated with being a public company. Since the company has yet to start commercial production of battery-grade lithium carbonate, operating expenses are expected to increase as the company starts to recruit more personnel to perform general operational tasks and set up the Muskogee Lithium Refinery.

As of December 31, 2025, and December 31, 2024, we had an accumulated $1 million and $52.6 million, respectively. Loss per share, as adjusted for the reverse stock split completed in Q3 2025, was $2.13 for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025, compared to a loss per share of $5.55 for the prior period, primarily driven by the lower net loss due to reasons mentioned earlier and an increase in outstanding share capital due to public offerings during the year.

Net cash used in operating activities totaled $8.3 million for the current fiscal year, compared to $9.7 million for the prior year, primarily driven by certain expenses related to the close of the company's business combination incurred in the prior year, partially offset by continued investment in operations and hiring of key talent. Net cash used in investing activities was $3.4 million for the current fiscal year, compared to $4.8 million for the prior year, primarily driven by our initial capital investments made in the anticipated building of the lithium processing facility. Net cash provided by financing activities was $14.2 million [audio distortion] $14.2 million for the prior year.

During the current year, cash provided by financing activities was primarily driven by $12 million in net proceeds from inducements, cash received from the issuance of 2025 convertible notes of $3.8 million, and $2.1 million in proceeds from common stock issuances, partially offset by the repayment of $3.9 million of short-term loans. The prior year financing cash flow resulted from cash received from closing of the business combination, including proceeds from the company's PIPE subscription agreements and 2024 convertible loans, net of transaction costs paid, and proceeds from short-term loans from related party and investors. We used the funds to meet our working capital needs and our initial capital investments for the refinery. As we look ahead, our current cash position provides a foundation to support and key project milestones while we continue to advance our broader financing activities.

As is typical with projects at this stage, additional capital will be running operations for the next 12 months, and we are pursuing multiple funding options, including our existing ATM facility and other sources. Importantly, as Roshan highlighted, our focus is on securing project-level financing aligned with construction, and we continue to make progress across a range of strategic and financing discussions. With that, I conclude my remarks, and we'll turn it back over to you, Roshan.

Thank you, Uday. Looking ahead, 2026 is about execution and transition. Over the past year, we've reached key de-risking milestones, including completion of our FEL-3 engineering, securing our air permit, and advancing feedstock agreements, which position the project for the next phase. These are the milestones lenders, partners, and stakeholders look for, and we are now moving into the financing stage of development while advancing EPC planning and preparing the site for major construction. Our focus is on securing project-level financing aligned with construction, with the majority of the capital required for the refinery expected to be funded through a combination of debt and strategic equity at the project level rather than corporate equity. We are actively advancing discussions across multiple channels, including strategic partners, debt providers, and potential government-supported programs with the objective of establishing an optimal capital structure.

We remain disciplined in our approach, prioritizing capital efficiency and minimizing dilution with equity used selectively. At the same time, we continue to strengthen the commercial foundation of the refinery through additional feedstock discussions and advancing potential offtake and strategic partnerships. With engineering validation, permitting in place, and early commercial progress, we believe the project is well-positioned to move forward to a final investment decision. The need for domestic lithium refining capacity in the United States remains clear. Our priority now is straightforward. Secure the right financing partners and move the project from development into construction. Our focus is on executing the key milestones required to secure project finance and advance the refinery into construction, which we believe will be the primary drivers of long-term shareholder value. Thank you for your continued support. We will now open the call for questions.

Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, to ask the question, please press star one one on your telephone, then wait for your name to be announced. To withdraw your question, please press star one one again. Please stand by while we compile the Q&A roster. I'm showing no questions in the queue. That concludes today's conference call. Thank you for your participation. You may now disconnect.