Maxterial
5 known investors
Maxterial develops advanced chemicals and coatings, including a coating platform designed to protect surfaces against wear, heat, and corrosion.
Also known as Maxterial Inc.
Investors · 5
Also in the syndicate · 2
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Maxterial Inc. is a materials science technology company focused on advanced chemicals and coatings. Its coating platform, marketed as MaxShield and also described as H-Max, is an electrodeposited, nickel-based alloy coating engineered to protect components against wear, heat, and corrosion. The company positions the technology as a substitute for hard chromium plating, a widely used heavy-duty wear-resistant coating made from hexavalent chromium (Cr6+), a regulated carcinogen. According to the company's CEO, the chemistry uses no chromium, cobalt, cyanide, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), is recyclable, and is compliant with the European Union's REACH regulation.
The company was co-founded in 2015 and spent roughly a decade in development before unveiling its coating publicly. It is led by CEO Dr. Mehdi Kargar and Chief Technology Officer Dr. Amy Haghdoost; Carmen Ferrigno serves as Chief Marketing Officer. Company materials describe target industries including steel production, hydraulics, defense, automotive, and other industrial manufacturing sectors, and cite reduced carbon footprint and elimination of toxic finishing chemistries (hexavalent chromium, PFAS/PFOS, lead-based systems) as drivers of adoption.
Maxterial has been described variously as a Bay Area / Silicon Valley company (the Series A release was datelined Pleasanton, California) and as a Michigan-based technology company, and it has opened a 14,000-square-foot production and applications facility in Brown City, Michigan to support industrial deployment.
Founding story
Maxterial was co-founded in 2015 by Mehdi Kargar, who serves as CEO, to pursue a practical, cost-effective replacement for hard chromium plating — an objective the finishing industry had long treated as difficult to achieve. The founders spent about ten years developing and testing the coating before unveiling it.
Business model
Maxterial sells coating technology and related services to industrial manufacturers and OEMs, describing a combined product and service model aimed at replacing incumbent hard chrome plating in high-wear applications. Its jobs page indicates in-house electroplating manufacturing and applications capability alongside R&D, sales, and business development functions.
Sales of coating products and application services to industrial customers and OEMs; the company describes a product and service model targeting total cost of ownership for OEMs.
Traction
The company reports ongoing large-scale trials with early adopters in Europe and North America, customers and corporate investors including Saint-Gobain, Anglo American, QEMETICA and Mott Corporation, selection of MaxShield by the U.S. Department of Defense ESTCP for demonstration and validation, a new 14,000-square-foot Michigan production facility, and five open roles listed on its careers page.
Latest developments
Maxterial announced that the U.S. Department of Defense's Environmental Security Technology Certification Program selected MaxShield for demonstration and validation as a next-generation alternative to hard chrome coating, with the company reporting progress toward approval for military applications, including cylinder use. It also opened a 14,000-square-foot production and applications facility in Brown City, Michigan, and published results of a 27-point comparison in which its H-Max coating was reported to outperform hard chrome plating.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Maxterial competes in the market for replacements to hexavalent chromium hard plating, a century-old standard for high-wear industrial components that is heavily regulated as a carcinogen. Coverage describes prior alternatives as sacrificing performance, scalability, or cost, and frames Maxterial as among the companies claiming to meet performance requirements at a comparable total cost of ownership.
Maxterial's stated differentiation is delivering hard-chrome-level wear and corrosion performance without hexavalent chromium, cobalt, cyanide, or PFAS, while remaining scalable and cost-competitive on total cost of ownership — a combination the company says previous chrome alternatives could not achieve. It reports its H-Max coating exceeded traditional plating across a 27-point comparison.
Technology
MaxShield (also referenced as H-Max) is an electrodeposited nickel-based alloy coating platform providing wear, heat, and corrosion protection. The chemistry excludes chromium, cobalt, cyanide, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, is described as recyclable and REACH-compliant, and is presented as reducing manufacturing carbon emissions relative to hexavalent chrome plating.
Go-to-market
The company runs large-scale industrial trials with early adopters in Europe and North America and works with corporate and strategic partners including Saint-Gobain, Anglo American, QEMETICA and Mott Corporation. It is also pursuing qualification for defense applications through the U.S. Department of Defense ESTCP demonstration and validation program, and is hiring across sales and business development.
Industrial manufacturers and OEMs in steel production, hydraulics, defense, automotive, and other sectors that rely on wear- and corrosion-resistant coatings, particularly those facing restrictions on hexavalent chromium, PFAS/PFOS, and lead-based finishing systems.
Geography
United States operations span the San Francisco Bay Area (the Series A announcement was datelined Pleasanton, California; a PrivCo profile lists Richmond, California) and Michigan, where the company opened a 14,000-square-foot production and applications facility in Brown City and lists a Detroit-area role. Trials and commercial scale-up efforts are underway in both North America and Europe.
History
The company was co-founded in 2015 by Mehdi Kargar and spent more than a decade developing its coating platform before commercial unveiling. It attracted early backing from Peter Thiel's Breakout Labs, Pierre Omidyar's UP2398, and corporate investors Saint-Gobain and Anglo American. In June 2024 it closed a Series A round of nearly $8 million led by Helios Climate Ventures, bringing equity financing to nearly $11 million to date. Subsequently it opened a 14,000-square-foot production and applications facility in Brown City, Michigan, and its MaxShield coating was selected by the U.S. Department of Defense's Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) for demonstration and validation as an alternative to hard chrome.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 4
launches, deals, and filingsThe Environmental Security Technology Certification Program, the U.S. Department of Defense's environmental technology demonstration and validation program, selected Maxterial's MaxShield coating technology for demonstration and validation as a next-generation alternative to hexavalent chromium hard chrome coating.
Maxterial opened a 14,000-square-foot production and applications facility in Brown City, Michigan to accelerate industrial deployment of its coating technologies as manufacturers face tightening restrictions on hexavalent chromium, PFAS/PFOS, and lead-based finishing systems.
Maxterial announced the closure of a Series A round raising nearly $8 million, led by Helios Climate Ventures with participation from QEMETICA (formerly Ciech) and the Mott Corporation, to fund R&D and large-scale trials and to scale operations in North America and Europe.
$8M source ↗
Maxterial unveiled its H-Max coating technology, which protects industrial components against wear and corrosion, and reported that it surpassed traditional hard chrome plating in a 27-point comparison while reducing carbon footprint.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Maxterialmaxterial.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Maxterial do?
- Maxterial develops advanced chemical and coating technologies, including nickel-based alloy coatings that replace hexavalent hard chrome.
- Who are Maxterial's investors?
- Maxterial's investors include Dellin Investments, Helios Climate Ventures, Anthropocene Ventures.