Athena Gold Corp CEO Koby Kushner joined Steve Darling from the Vancouver Resources Investment Conference to share news about about the company’s strategic positioning for a potential grassroots gold discovery at its flagship Laird Lake project in Red Lake, Ontario. During the interview, Kushner explained that Athena recently monetized its non-core Nevada asset, Excelsior Springs, while retaining significant upside. That move, combined with an oversubscribed $3.5 million financing, has positioned the company with nearly $8 million in cash and marketable securities. “Athena is a gold exploration company, and we're aiming to make the next grassroots gold discovery in Red Lake, Ontario,” Kushner said. For over a year, Athena has been conducting groundwork at Laird Lake, including geophysical interpretation and collecting over 2,000 surface samples. A key breakthrough came with a reinterpretation of the geology — revealing the presence of Balmer rocks, a highly prospective formation historically missed due to incorrect mapping. This includes a 10km strike length rich in visible gold, with surface samples as high as 373 g/t gold. The upcoming drill program, slated to begin by the end of Q1 2026, will test multiple high-priority targets including the Bounty anomaly, the Rigby showing, and geophysical conductors G1 to G6. Athena plans to drill approximately 5,000 metres. The project is further bolstered by its proximity to major players like Evolution Mining, Kinross, and West Red Lake Gold, which recently restarted commercial production just 10km away — reinforcing the region’s reputation as “elephant country.” #proactiveinvestors #athenagoldcorp #cse #atha #otcqb #vric2026 #RedLakeGold #GoldExploration #MiningStocks #JuniorMining #LairdLake #DrillProgram #GoldInvesting #CanadianMining #KobyKushner #ProactiveInvestors #GoldDiscovery #HighGradeGold