About Aster Funds
Five decades of finding deposits on the ground. Now we find them from space.
Aster Funds is a Toronto-based geoscience company led by John Ryder, P.Geo. We turn satellite spectral data into ranked priority targets for minerals and natural hydrogen, so explorers know where to look before they spend on fieldwork.
Led by a geologist with 50+ years in exploration
John Ryder has worked in mineral exploration for more than 50 years: as an exploration geologist with a major mining company, as an independent consultant, and as the head of a public exploration company.
He began in 1974 as a senior exploration geologist with RioFinEx, part of RTZ (now Rio Tinto), based in Dublin and Jeddah and exploring in Ireland, Shetland, Germany and Saudi Arabia for lead–zinc, phosphate, coal and bauxite. Since 1990 he has run Ryder & Associates, consulting on gold, base metals, phosphate and diamonds in Canada, the USA, Suriname and Iraq, and from 2001 to 2012 he was President and CEO of Dianor Resources, a diamond explorer in Ontario and Quebec.
He spent a decade on the Registration Committee of Professional Geoscientists Ontario, chairing it from 2017 to 2022. Since 2019 he has been Director of Aster Funds, bringing that field experience to every satellite survey.
- Hons BSc
- P.Geo
- Ex-RTZ (Rio Tinto)
- Former Chair, PGO Registration Committee
- Advisory board, Protium Clean Energy
Career
Five decades of exploration roles, from a major mining company to his own consultancy, a public company and now satellite targeting.
- Senior Exploration Geologist, RioFinEx (RTZ, now Rio Tinto)Based in Dublin and Jeddah. Exploration in Ireland, Shetland, Germany and Saudi Arabia for base metals (lead–zinc), phosphate, coal and bauxite.
- Canada HydrometallurgyRecovery of platinum, palladium and rhodium from automotive catalysts.
- President, Ryder & AssociatesConsulting exploration geologist for gold, base metals, phosphate and diamonds in Canada, the USA, Suriname and Iraq.
- President & CEO, Dianor Resources Inc.Diamond exploration in Ontario and Quebec.
- Professional Geoscientists OntarioRegistration Committee member from 2012 and Chair from 2017 to 2022; Member at Large from 2019 to 2022.
- Director, Aster Funds LtdRemote sensing services from exploration to post-mining monitoring: spectral mineral mapping, gas surveys, radar and predictive fingerprint targeting. See our solutions →
- Advisory board, Protium Clean EnergyJoined the advisory board of the natural hydrogen explorer in December 2024.
- Speaker, GRSG 36th Annual Conference, LondonPresented the Winu copper prediction at the Geological Society of London. Read more →
How we work
Satellite data is only as good as the geology behind it. These are the principles every Aster survey follows.
Geologist-led
Every map is interpreted by a professional geologist, not handed over as raw output.
Calibrated on your ground
Our fingerprint models learn from your own known showings or drill holes, then search for more of the same.
Tested on known deposits
We test the method against deposits with public data, such as Winu and Oyu Tolgoi, and publish what we find.
Confidential
We never share your coordinates and work under NDA on request. Many results stay private for that reason.
Talk to a geologist about your ground.
Send your claim boundary and what you are looking for. A geologist will come back with a scope and a fixed quote.