Company advances vertically integrated strategy spanning high-purity phosphate resources, purified phosphoric acid and LFP battery materials as demand expands across energy storage, AI infrastructure and electric mobility.

NEW YORK, USA

First Phosphate Corp.⁠ (Nasdaq: PHOS; CSE: PHOS) is advancing a vertically integrated North American strategy designed to address one of the critical inputs in the rapidly growing lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery market: high-purity phosphate.

As LFP technology expands across large-scale energy storage, artificial intelligence data centers, electric vehicles, telecommunications, robotics, industrial automation, defense and other applications, First Phosphate is positioning its Québec-based phosphate resources and downstream processing strategy to participate across multiple stages of the battery supply chain.

The company’s strategy begins with its flagship Bégin-Lamarche project in Québec⁠, which hosts a large-scale igneous phosphate resource. Unlike sedimentary phosphate deposits commonly associated with fertilizer production, First Phosphate is focused on high-purity igneous phosphate that the company believes is particularly suited for conversion into purified phosphoric acid and ultimately LFP battery materials.

Building a Vertically Integrated LFP Supply Chain

First Phosphate’s strategy is designed to capture value across the LFP production process rather than operate solely as a traditional mineral developer.

The company has outlined a supply chain extending from igneous anorthosite phosphate rock through high-purity phosphate concentrate, purified phosphoric acid, iron phosphate precursor, LFP cathode active material and ultimately LFP battery cells.

This approach comes as governments, manufacturers and investors increasingly focus on securing domestic sources of critical minerals and reducing dependence on overseas battery supply chains.

First Phosphate’s investment materials indicate that Bégin-Lamarche contains approximately 255 million tonnes of indicated and inferred mineral resources.

According to the company’s Preliminary Economic Assessment⁠, the project is designed around approximately 900,000 tonnes per year of phosphate concentrate production at approximately 40% P₂O₅. The company reports a pre-tax NPV of approximately CAD $2.1 billion and pre-tax IRR of 37.1%, while the after-tax NPV is approximately CAD $1.59 billion with an after-tax IRR of 33.0%. The estimated after-tax payback period is approximately 2.9 years.

These figures are preliminary projections and remain subject to the assumptions, risks and qualifications contained in the company’s technical and regulatory disclosures.

LFP Demand Moves Beyond Electric Vehicles

A central component of First Phosphate’s investment thesis is that LFP batteries are no longer primarily an electric-vehicle story.

The company points to growing applications across large-scale energy storage, AI data centers, telecommunications infrastructure, EV charging stations, consumer products, robotics and factory automation, marine and agricultural applications, defense and electric mobility.

LFP chemistry has gained attention because of its thermal stability, long cycle life, relatively low degradation and competitive input costs.

First Phosphate has already advanced downstream development through its LFP cathode active material and battery-cell initiatives⁠, including production of LFP battery cells using North American-sourced critical minerals.

As AI data centers and large-scale energy storage systems require increasingly sophisticated power and backup-energy infrastructure, the addressable market for LFP technology could extend well beyond passenger EV adoption.

Phosphate Emerges as a Strategic Battery Material

While lithium has traditionally dominated discussions surrounding battery supply chains, phosphate represents a significant component of LFP chemistry.

First Phosphate’s strategy highlights the importance of securing reliable sources of battery-grade phosphate and purified phosphoric acid as LFP manufacturing expands.

The company believes Western markets face limited battery-grade purified phosphoric acid capacity, creating an opportunity for North American producers capable of supplying high-purity material at scale.

First Phosphate is seeking to address that opportunity through a mine-to-market strategy connecting its Québec mineral resources with downstream processing and battery-material partnerships.

Commercial Partnerships and Project Development

First Phosphate has focused on establishing relationships throughout the battery value chain, including phosphate processing, purified phosphoric acid production, iron phosphate precursor manufacturing, cathode active material development and battery-cell production.

The company reports firm offtake arrangements covering at least 200,000 tonnes annually of phosphate concentrate and 60,000 tonnes annually of phosphoric acid, creating a potential commercial pathway for future production.

In January 2026, First Phosphate also announced an initial payment under its long-term phosphate concentrate offtake arrangement⁠ to assist in advancing Bégin-Lamarche toward feasibility and an eventual production decision.

Government support has become another component of the project’s development strategy. In March 2026, First Phosphate finalized an agreement for a CAD $16.7 million non-repayable contribution from the Government of Canada⁠ through Natural Resources Canada.

The funding is intended to support technical and engineering work associated with producing phosphate concentrate that meets LFP battery-market requirements.

Building a North American Critical-Minerals Platform

First Phosphate’s broader opportunity sits at the intersection of electrification, energy security and rapidly growing power-intensive digital infrastructure.

As battery demand grows, LFP is increasingly being considered for applications where safety, longevity, cost efficiency and reliability can be more important than maximizing energy density.

First Phosphate’s strategy is therefore not simply to extract phosphate. The company is seeking to develop an integrated ecosystem capable of moving material from a Québec mineral resource through processing and ultimately into North American LFP batteries.

Its partnerships, offtake agreements and government support are intended to help reduce development risk as the company progresses toward feasibility, permitting and potential investment decisions.

Looking Ahead

Upcoming milestones are expected to include advancement of feasibility studies, permitting, downstream processing decisions and further development of commercial and financing relationships.

Investors and industry stakeholders can follow the company’s latest corporate developments and announcements⁠ or access its Investor Relations resources⁠ for corporate presentations, securities information, public filings and research coverage.

If successfully executed, First Phosphate’s vertically integrated model could position the company within an emerging North American supply chain for one of the battery industry’s fastest-growing chemistries.

With energy storage, AI infrastructure, electric mobility and industrial electrification creating new sources of battery demand, First Phosphate is advancing the case that the next critical-minerals opportunity may not be defined by lithium alone — but also by the phosphate required to manufacture LFP batteries at scale.

About First Phosphate Corp.

First Phosphate Corp.⁠ is a critical-minerals company focused on integrating high-purity phosphate resources into the North American lithium iron phosphate battery supply chain. The company is developing its Bégin-Lamarche phosphate project in Québec and pursuing a vertically integrated strategy spanning phosphate concentrate, purified phosphoric acid and downstream LFP battery materials.

Media Contact Details
Liana Zavo
Email: Send Email

NEW YORK, USA

Investor-relations strategist concludes three-day Monaco engagement and prepares for an additional roadshow later this year.

Liana Zavo, founder of ZavoVentures and ZavoMedia PR Group, has completed a three-day investor roadshow in Monaco and announced plans to continue expanding her investor-relations roadshow program during the fourth quarter of 2026.

The Monaco engagement was held at the Hotel de Paris Monte Carlo on behalf of an oil and gas company. Zavo declined to identify the company, citing an active investor-relations engagement.

According to Zavo, the non-deal roadshow brought together close to 100 participants, including family offices, venture capital representatives and private investors. No securities were offered or sold as part of the engagement.

Zavo said the roadshow model focuses on repeated small-group interaction rather than a single large presentation. A typical three-day program includes approximately 30 investor meetings per day, along with smaller meetings and private dinners designed to introduce company leadership to prospective investors and develop relationships ahead of potential future capital-raising activity.

Her next roadshow is planned for Dubai during the fourth quarter of 2026. Zavo also organizes similar engagements in New York City, primarily for micro-cap and small-cap public companies.

“Companies spend enormous amounts of time preparing financial models and investor decks, but capital is still relationship-driven,” Zavo said. “If investors don’t know who you are, don’t understand your story or haven’t developed confidence in your leadership, the deck alone isn’t going to create that relationship.”

Marie Antoinette Furtado, a natural resources expert, UN ambassador and fashion designer who met Zavo in Monaco, commented on her approach to connecting investors and company leaders.

“Meeting Liana Zavo in Monaco was extraordinary,” Furtado said. “She has the rare ‘it factor,’ the ability to connect investors, leaders and opportunities across the globe.”

Roadshow Model Combines Public Relations and Investor Relations

Zavo said her investor-roadshow work developed from her background in public relations. Through ZavoMedia PR Group, she has worked on media relations and executive positioning for startups, founders, venture capital firms and other organizations.

She later founded ZavoVentures to work more directly with public and private companies on investor relations, roadshow planning and capital strategy.

Under the current model, ZavoMedia PR Group supports corporate and executive communications ahead of an investor event, while ZavoVentures manages investor outreach, introductions and roadshow logistics.

“Public relations tells the market why you matter. Investor relations explains why the business matters as an opportunity,” Zavo said. “When those two stories are aligned, management walks into investor conversations from a stronger position.”

Zavo said the three-day structure also allows management teams to adjust how they communicate based on the questions and feedback received during investor meetings.

“By the third day, you’re not telling the story the same way you told it on day one,” Zavo said. “You’re hearing investors, understanding their concerns and learning what resonates.”

Jim Bark, a private investor and former mergers-and-acquisitions banker who attended one of Zavo’s investor dinners, described her approach as focused on building connections between companies and investors.

“Liana is a true community builder,” Bark said. “She brings companies together with investors in a way that just works. She has a great eye, and she’s a connector and storyteller.”

Zavo said her investor-relations work has taken her to 12 countries, including Israel. Her clients include micro-cap and small-cap public companies as well as businesses preparing for IPOs, SPAC transactions or post-merger public-market activity.

She emphasized that participation in a roadshow does not guarantee financing or investment.

“I’m not interested in simply putting another pitch event on the calendar,” Zavo said. “I want to create an experience where companies have three days to be seen, heard and challenged by investors.”

The planned fourth-quarter roadshow represents the next stage in Zavo’s effort to expand the model internationally while continuing regular investor-engagement programs in New York.

About Liana Zavo

Liana Zavo is the founder of ZavoVentures and ZavoMedia PR Group. She advises public and private companies on investor positioning, strategic communications, roadshow development and capital strategy. Her work includes engagements with micro-cap and small-cap public companies, IPO-stage businesses and SPAC-related companies.

About ZavoVentures

ZavoVentures is an investor-relations and capital-strategy platform founded by Liana Zavo. The company works with public and private companies on investor introductions, roadshow planning and capital strategy, including engagement with family offices, venture capital firms and private investors.

About ZavoMedia PR Group

ZavoMedia PR Group is a public relations firm founded by Liana Zavo. The firm provides media relations, crisis communications and executive-positioning services for startups, founders, venture capital firms and B2B brands.

Media Contact Details
Liana Zavo
Email: Send Email
Website: zavoventures.com

Fort Lauderdale, FL

AD Mortgage, a leading wholesale lender in the United States, has been named a 2026 Game Changer Award winner by PROGRESS in Lending for its Non-QM Automated Underwriting System (AUS), recognizing a major advancement in mortgage technology that brings automated underwriting to one of the industry’s most complex and historically difficult-to-automate segments.

The Game Changer Awards recognize new solutions and advancements to existing technologies that address meaningful industry challenges and improve the mortgage lending process. AD Mortgage was the first lender in the industry to launch an automated underwriting system specifically for Non-QM lending, bringing automation to a segment that has historically been difficult to automate due to complex borrower profiles, alternative income documentation and flexible program guidelines..

Integrated directly into AD Mortgage’s AIM Partner Portal, Non-QM AUS gives brokers a faster path to pre-approval by automatically evaluating Non-QM scenarios and generating loan-specific conditions. This allows brokers to quickly determine whether a borrower may be a fit, bringing greater speed, consistency and clarity to a process that has traditionally relied heavily on manual review.

“Non-QM lending requires flexibility, but that shouldn’t mean brokers have to sacrifice speed or clarity,” said Max Slyusarchuk, CEO of AD Mortgage. “We built Non-QM AUS around the way our partners actually work, giving them technology that helps simplify complex scenarios and provides clearer direction earlier in the process. Being recognized as a Game Changer validates the work our team has done to solve a real challenge in the Non-QM market.”

Key highlights include:

• Named a 2026 Game Changer Award winner by PROGRESS in Lending
• Built specifically to support complex Non-QM scenarios, including Bank Statement, DSCR and ITIN programs
• Integrated directly into the AIM Partner Portal, allowing brokers to access automated underwriting within their existing AD Mortgage workflow
• Provides automated loan decisions and program-specific conditions to give brokers greater clarity earlier in the process

The recognition comes as mortgage professionals increasingly look to lenders for technology that integrates more effectively into their existing workflows. AD Mortgage’s recent Technology in the Mortgage Industry survey found that 82.2% of mortgage professionals consider technology integration highly important, while 33.5% said they expect to adopt technology with lender support. These findings reinforce the growing demand for connected technology that helps brokers manage the lending process more efficiently.

The Game Changer Award further supports AD Mortgage’s focus on becoming The Lender of Choice by developing technology around the needs of its broker partners and addressing areas of the mortgage process where greater automation can have a meaningful impact.

For more information, please visit www.admortgage.com.  

About AD Mortgage

As a premier direct mortgage lender, AD Mortgage offers a full spectrum of Conventional, Government, and Non-QM loan products with 24-hour turnaround times and some of the most competitive rates in the industry. In addition to their AD Power Jumbo loan product, AD Mortgage offers programs for Prime borrowers, Foreign National borrowers, as well as borrowers with imperfect credit histories. Programs with no income verification are also offered for investment property loans.

The company offers free concierge services, bank statement reviews, marketing tools and resources, and more to support the brokers they serve. In 2025, AD Mortgage received several prestigious industry awards, including HousingWire Vanguard Award, PROGRESS in Lending’s Lending Luminary Award, National Mortgage Professional’s Legend of Lending Award, HousingWire Industry Titan Award. This year, the company was also featured in CBS, Bloomberg, and Inc., underscoring its growing influence and leadership in the mortgage industry.

AD Mortgage is an Equal Housing Lender. NMLS ID #958660. 899 W Cypress Creek Rd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309. For important disclosures and state licensing information:
https://admortgage.com/important-disclosures/

Media Contact Details
Andy Restrepo
AD Mortgage, LLC
Email: Send Email
Phone: (645) 240-2300
Website: admortgage.com