What stage does Material Impact invest at?

Material Impact invests at the Seed, Series A, Series B stages.

What is Material Impact's typical check size?

Material Impact typically writes checks of $100K – $10M.

Where is Material Impact located?

Material Impact is headquartered in Boston, US.

Does Material Impact lead rounds?

Material Impact typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.

Material Impact

Venture capital

Boston · Seed–Series B · 22 people tracked

Also known as MATERIAL IMPACT MANAGEMENT, LLC

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Investment thesis

Material Impact focuses on funding and building deep tech startups grounded in material science innovation. The firm targets technical companies pursuing ambitious ideas aimed at shaping the future, spanning areas such as advanced materials, renewable energy, sustainable manufacturing, and health technology. It positions itself as a partner for founders tackling hard, science-driven problems, supporting them in translating breakthrough materials research into commercially viable companies.

Invests inBiotech Cleantech Climate Tech Deep Tech Hardware Impact & Social Good New Materials SemiconductorsBostonUnited States

Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.

Stage

Seed–Series B

Check

$100K – $10M

Boston, Massachusetts, US

Leads rounds

Follows

Instruments

Equity

Founded

2016

AUM

$352M

VC funds

Tracked investments

Team · 22 people

from the firm's website

Adam Sharkawy· Co-Founder & Managing Partner· Bostonin 𝕏

Adam, a technical operator-turned-investor with 25–30 years in health tech and medical devices, led a $170M acquisition and $1B+ integrations and centers his thesis on materials science as physical-world DNA.

a•••@materialimpact.comreveal

Carmichael Roberts· Founder and Managing Partner· Bostonin 𝕏

Carmichael Roberts combines co-founding a specialized materials-focused venture firm with leadership at Bill Gates’s climate venture vehicle, using his bioorganic-chemist–turned-serial materials-entrepreneur background to assess hard-tech energy and infrastructure startups.

c•••@materialimpact.comreveal

Ben Schlatka· Company Building Partner· Boston, Massachusetts, United Statesin

Ben Schlatka co-founded and served as CEO of MC10, a wearable sensor company acquired by Dassault Systemes, where he later launched the Sensor Cloud business. He has a career in deep tech and materials-science commercialization, previously worked at IBM, and coached at Harvard Business School for over a decade.

Christian Theriault· Partner· New York, New Yorkin

An award-winning serial entrepreneur with expertise across deep-tech fields, Christian has spent nearly a decade mentoring and investing in high-tech startups and joined Material Impact to develop opportunities at the intersection of material science and category-defining products. He co-founded ventures in robotics, machine vision, and medical devices (including TAG Optics, later acquired by a Japanese multinational), serves as EIR for NSF's I-Corps Northeast Regional Hub at Princeton, and holds MSE and AB degrees from Princeton.

c•••@materialimpact.comreveal

Corinna Chen· Partner· United Statesin

Partner at Material Impact focused on applying fundamental technologies across sectors, with interests in synthetic biology, bio-based and advanced electronic materials, next-gen computing, and climate tech. She has a background spanning engineering, life sciences, medical devices, and aerospace, holding prior roles at Medeor Therapeutics, the Medicines Company, Incline Therapeutics, and AcelRx, and began her career designing spacecraft instrumentation at UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory.

c•••@materialimpact.comreveal

Elyse Winer· Partner· Boston, Massachusetts, United Statesin

A former startup operator, Elyse Winer focuses on commercializing early-stage deep tech, working closely with Material Impact founders on brand and commercial strategy. She previously led marketing at MC10, served as VP at Lose It!, consulted at Vynamic, and began her career at Merrill Lynch, and leads Material Impact's Diversity & Impact reporting.

i•••@materialimpact.comreveal

Natalie Wisniewski· Company Building Partner· San Francisco, California, United Statesin

Natalie has been a member of Material Impact's entrepreneurial advisory board since 2018 and brings startup-building experience. She co-founded and served as CTO of Profusa, where she developed the IP, secured $30M in DARPA and NIH funding, and previously worked at McKinsey and Kimberly-Clark, with nearly two decades of medical device and diagnostics consulting experience.

i•••@materialimpact.comreveal

Sidney McLaurin· Partner· Jackson, Mississippiin

Sidney McLaurin joined Material Impact as a Partner in 2020, focusing on scaling technologies that improve efficiency while reducing environmental resource demand. He previously was a general manager at Lime, launching and managing over 30 markets globally, held roles at Siemens managing its industrial computer portfolio, and worked as an associate at venture firms including Kapor Capital and Qualcomm Ventures.

i•••@materialimpact.comreveal

Alexa Horwitz· Director of Marketing and Communications· Boston, Massachusetts, United Statesin

Alexa Horwitz leads marketing and communications at Material Impact, focusing on content and community-driven brand building. She previously worked in VC marketing at OpenView Venture Partners, brand communications at Wayfair, and B2B marketing at Forrester.

Deborah Kilpatrick· Health IT CEO, Evidation; Member, Material Impact Entrepreneurial Advisory Board· San Francisco Bay Areain

Co-founder and CEO of digital health company Evidation Health and a member of Material Impact's entrepreneurial advisory board since Fund I. She previously served as Chief Commercial Officer of genomic diagnostics firm CardioDx and held R&D and new ventures leadership roles at Guidant Corporation's Vascular Intervention Division.

i•••@materialimpact.comreveal

Ezgi Emiroglu· Venture Associate· Boston, Massachusetts, United Statesin

Venture associate who previously ran MIT's largest entrepreneurship competition and founded an MIT-focused venture studio. Holds an MBA from MIT Sloan, an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School, and a BCom in Finance from UBC's Sauder School of Business, with prior experience leading strategy at a food and beverage company.

George Whitesides· Chief Scientific Advisor· Cambridge, Massachusettsin

i•••@materialimpact.comreveal

Joe Kennedy III· Senior Advisor· Newton, Massachusettsin

Former U.S. Representative for Massachusetts's 4th Congressional District (2013-2021) and former Assistant District Attorney, Kennedy is managing director of the non-profit Citizens Energy and founder of the Groundwork Project. He holds a BS from Stanford and a JD from Harvard Law School.

Ken DiPoto· Chief Financial Officer· Boston, Massachusetts, United Statesin

Ken DiPoto joined Material Impact in 2017 and oversees finance, operations, and administration. He previously held a similar role at North Bridge Venture Partners for over 18 years, served as CFO of two venture-backed startups, and held senior financial roles at Security Dynamics (later RSA Security).

k•••@materialimpact.comreveal

Melissa Fensterstock· Investor· New York Cityin

An operator with combined scientific and business experience focused on commercializing early-stage scientific innovations across life sciences, agtech, space tech, and brain-machine interfaces. Former CEO of Landsdowne Labs (an MIT spinout co-founded with Robert Langer) and executive in residence at Johns Hopkins, Columbia, and Yale.

Paul Deninger· Operating Partner

Randy Allen· Company Building Partner· New York Cityin

Randy Allen is a company-building partner at Material Impact, supporting portfolio companies across stages and helping start and build new deep-tech startups. He previously led Activate's Boston community as Managing Director, mentoring early-stage science entrepreneurs, and co-founded and served as CTO of Pascalor based on his postdoctoral research at the University of Texas at Dallas. Earlier he worked as a market research analyst at Frost & Sullivan and as an associate at the VC firms Spike Ventures, Tech Council Ventures, and Pillar VC.

i•••@materialimpact.comreveal

Ranulfo Allen· Company Building Partner· New York City

Randy Allen supports Material Impact portfolio companies as a company-building partner, drawing on experience in early-stage deep-tech entrepreneurship. He previously led Activate's Boston community as Managing Director, co-founded sensor startup Pascalor as CTO, worked as an analyst at Frost & Sullivan, and served as an associate at Spike Ventures, Tech Council Ventures, and Pillar VC.

Shawna Sharkey· Vice President

s•••@materialimpact.comreveal

Theresa Peterson· Senior Advisor· Washington, District of Columbia, United Statesin

Retired Senior Executive Director of GE Research where she led government affairs, funding strategy, and served as Chief Diversity Officer; previously spent 10 years in government affairs at 3M. She has over 30 years of experience in government funding and diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Upma Sharma· Entrepreneurial Advisor; President, Arsenal Medicine (Medical, Biomaterials)· Somerville, Massachusetts, United Statesin

Member of Material Impact's entrepreneurial advisory board since Fund II and President of Arsenal Medical, a clinical-stage biomaterials company. She led development of Arsenal's ResQFoam product from invention to clinic and previously advanced a drug delivery depot at Lyra Therapeutics; she holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Princeton and has numerous publications and patents.

i•••@materialimpact.comreveal

Wendy Shao· Company Building Partner· Silicon Valley

Wendy Shao is a Company Building Partner at Material Impact focused on life science tools, advanced manufacturing, biopharma services, synthetic biology, biomaterials, medical devices, diagnostics, and digital health. She previously worked at Bio-Techne, Abbott, Guidant, and HP, completing over 100 transactions worth $30B+ across M&A, licensing, JVs, and venture investing, and held executive P&L leadership roles particularly in Asia and Greater China.

What they invest in

from 30 of 41 portfolio companies

Deep Tech ×9New Materials ×9Biotech ×8Cleantech ×7AI & Machine Learning ×5Energy ×5Hardware ×5Advanced Manufacturing ×4

HQs:United States×23

Investments · 41 tracked

founders shown can be your intro path

Nauticus Roboticsnauticusrobotics.comin 𝕏NASDAQ: KITT

Nauticus Robotics develops autonomous underwater robots and AI-powered control software for offshore operations including renewable energy, aquaculture, port security, and subsea mining.

AI & Machine LearningEnergyRobotics<UNKNOWN>, US

Joseph Dyer(Director)John Gibson, Jr.(Executive Officer, Director)Lisa Porter(Director)Nicolaus Radford(Executive Officer, Director)Donnelly Bohan(Executive Officer)Rangan Padmanabhan(Executive Officer)

Board seatAdam Sharkawy· per SEC Form D

6K Inc.6kinc.comin

6K produces advanced materials using microwave plasma technology (UniMelt) for manufacturing battery materials, metals, alloys, and other high-performance compounds.

CleantechEnergyNew Materials

Board seatAdam Sharkawy· per SEC Form D

Actnanoactnano.comin 𝕏

actnano develops PFAS-free conformal coatings for electronic protection across automotive, consumer electronics, medical, and industrial applications.

Deep TechNew MaterialsCambridge, US

S. Taymur Ahmad(Executive Officer, Director)William Brewer(Executive Officer)James F. Sheridan, Jr.(Executive Officer)Ivan Ardemagni(Executive Officer)Timothy Scott Housefield(Executive Officer)Robert Dobkin(Director)

Board seatAdam Sharkawy· per SEC Form D

Bloomer Health TechSEC filingmedium confidence

BiotechCambridge, US

Aceil Halaby(Executive Officer, Director)Adam Sharkawy(Director)Alicia Chong Rodriguez(Executive Officer, Director)

Board seatAdam Sharkawy· per SEC Form D · $3.1M raise · filed Mar 2020

Datacule

Data storage solution encoding data in molecular mixtures for long-lasting, sustainable, and secure information storage.

Boston, US

George Whitesides(Director)Carmichael Roberts(Director)Sidney McLaurin(Executive Officer)Elyse Winer(Director)

Board seatCarmichael RobertsElyse Winer· per SEC Form D

DetraPeldetrapel.com

DetraPel manufactures PFAS-free protective coatings and stain-repellent technologies for use in textiles, packaging, healthcare, and electronics.

Advanced ManufacturingCleantechNew MaterialsCharlotte, US

David Zamarin(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)

Board seatAdam Sharkawy· per SEC Form D

Folio Photonicsfoliophotonics.comin

Folio Photonics develops enterprise-scale immutable active archive storage solutions using photonic materials science to reduce cost and improve security for long-term data retention.

Data & InfrastructureDeep TechHardwareSolon, US

Steven J. Santamaria(Executive Officer, Director)Ronald B. Richard(Director)Robert D. Pavey(Director)Kenneth D. Singer(Executive Officer, Director)Felix Brueck(Director)

Board seatAdam Sharkawy· per SEC Form D

MagLev Aeromaglevaero.com

Boston, US

Ian Randall(Executive Officer, Director)Ian M. Randall(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Rod Randall(Director)

BoardRoderick Randall(Director)Carmichael Roberts(Director)Christian Garcia(Director)

Board seatBen Schlatka· per SEC Form D

NextGen Janenextgenjane.comin 𝕏

NextGen Jane operates a longitudinal molecular study of women's menstruation, collecting samples through a patented at-home kit to generate genomic insights into reproductive and gynecological health.

BiotechDigital HealthFemTechHealthtechOakland, US

Stephen Gire(Director)Ridhi Tariyal(Executive Officer, Director)

Board seatAdam Sharkawy· per SEC Form D

Nohbonohbo.com𝕏

New Jersey Baseball Academy combines academic instruction with baseball development and performance training for student-athletes, partnering with Acellus Academy for K-12 online education.

EdTechNew Jersey, US

Azhar Yerzhanova(Executive Officer, Director)BENJAMIN STERN(Executive Officer, Director)

BoardMelissa Fensterstock(Executive Officer, Director)

Board seatAdam Sharkawy· per SEC Form D

ORBION SPACE TECHNOLOGY, INC.SEC filingmedium confidence

Houghton, US

John Rockwell(Director)Kanwal Rekhi(Director)Lyon B. King(Executive Officer, Director)Adam Sharkawy(Director)Jorge Ramos(Director)Jason Sommerville(Director)

Board seatAdam Sharkawy· per SEC Form D · $37.1M raise · filed Dec 2025

Soft Robotics Inc.SEC filinghigh confidence

Bedford, US

George Whitesides(Director)Adam Sharkawy(Director)Carmichael Roberts(Director)Jeff Beck(Executive Officer, Director)Rory O'Driscoll(Director)Kevin Dunlap(Director)

Board seatCarmichael RobertsAdam SharkawyAdam Sharkawy· per SEC Form D · $35.9M raise · filed Dec 2022

→ Foundation Alloyfoundationalloy.comin 𝕏

Foundation Alloy engineers custom metal alloys and components using solid-state processing that avoids melting, enabling microstructures and contaminant control that conventional metallurgy cannot achieve.

Advanced ManufacturingDeep TechNew Materials

Jasper Lienhard(Cofounder)

Production-scale microwave plasma system for advanced materials at 6000 degrees enabling sustainable manufacturing across additive manufacturing, batteries, and displays.

AgZenagzen.comin

AgZen develops real-time monitoring technology for crop spraying, analyzing droplet behavior to help growers and agricultural equipment manufacturers optimize application efficiency.

AgTechAI & Machine LearningHardware

Vishnu JayaprakashKripa VaranasiMaher Damak

Amperesandamperesand.io

Amperesand manufactures medium voltage solid-state transformers for critical power infrastructure, enabling faster deployment of power systems for AI data centers and industrial applications.

Deep TechEnergyHardware

Brian Dow(Chief Executive Officer)Tommy Joyner(Sr. VP of Engineering)Marc Bouchet(Chief of Staff)Andrey Reznik(Chief Financial Officer)

Bloomer Techbloomertech.comin

Generates digital biomarkers for women's health, providing precision cardiovascular care and data services with a focus on female physiology.

Digital HealthFemTech

Debutdebutbiotech.comin

Debut combines artificial intelligence and biotechnology to develop novel skincare and haircare ingredients.

AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep Tech

Joshua Britton(Founder & CEO)

Fleet Roboticsfleetrobotics.ai

Fleet Robotics develops autonomous submersible robots that clean ship hulls, mitigate biofouling, and inspect underwater infrastructure, delivering performance data for the maritime shipping industry.

IoTRoboticsBoston, US

Sidney McLaurin(Executive Officer, Director)Carmichael Roberts(Director)Frank van Mierlo(Director)Michael Bell(Executive Officer)Robert J. Wood, Jr.(Executive Officer)

Fusion Coolant Systemsfusioncoolant.comin

Fusion Coolant Systems develops Pure-Cut, a supercritical CO2-based cooling and lubrication system for CNC machine tools that replaces traditional cutting fluids.

Advanced ManufacturingCleantechNew Materials

Galygaly.coin

GALY develops biocrafted alternatives to conventionally extracted materials like cocoa and cotton, positioning grown products as sustainable replacements for industries reliant on extractive supply chains.

AgTechBiotechCircular EconomyFoodTechNew MaterialsBoston, US

Ryan Panchadsaram(Director)Carmichael Roberts(Director)Luciano Bueno(Executive Officer, Director)

Gen Phoenixgenphoenix.comin

Gen Phoenix produces high-performance recycled materials, particularly recycled leather, from leather manufacturing waste and post-industrial offcuts for use in fashion, automotive, and other industries.

Circular EconomyNew Materials

Huuehuue.bioin

Huue produces bio-based indigo dye for the denim industry using bioengineered microbes that convert sugar into pigment, replacing toxic chemical and petroleum-based processes.

BiotechCircular EconomyCleantech

Tammy Hsu(Principal Scientist & Co-Founder)

BoardCorinna Chen(CEO)

Infinite Cooling in

Industrial water recovery technology using electric field technology to reduce water consumption and treatment costs in cooling processes.

Malden, US

Maher Damak(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Kripa Varanasi(Director, Promoter)MARK LITTLE(Director)JEFFREY MCCARTHY(Director)Karim Khalil(Executive Officer, Promoter)PHIL COOPER(Director)

Jump Aerojumpaero.comin

Jump Aero develops the fastest electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft designed to reduce emergency response times for first responders, particularly in rural areas.

Climate TechMobility & Transportation<UNKNOWN>

Kolomakoloma.comin

Koloma explores and produces natural hydrogen to support global decarbonization efforts.

CleantechClimate TechDeep TechEnergyDenver, US

Peter Johnson(Executive Officer, Director)Jeff Knupp(Executive Officer)Bunmi Adekore(Executive Officer, Director)Paul Harraka(Executive Officer)

BoardChristian Garcia(Director)Shayle Kann(Director)

lynqlynqme.comin 𝕏

Lynq develops infrastructure-free wireless networking software that enables enterprise devices and machines to form large area networks without relying on existing infrastructure like 5G or cellular.

Enterprise SoftwareHardwareIoT

Mattiqmattiq.com

MattiQ accelerates materials science discovery using a platform for computational experimentation and design across energy, computing, transportation, and space industries.

AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep TechNew MaterialsChicago, US

Chad A. Mirkin(Executive Officer, Director)Jeffrey Erhardt(Executive Officer, Director)Alex Andrianapoulis(Director)Louis Simpson(Director)

BoardQuinten Stevens(Director)Carmichael S. Roberts(Director)

NanoGrafnanograf.comin

Chicago, US

George Cintra(Director)David Klanecky(Director)Kurt Breitenkamp(Executive Officer)Ashok Rao(Director)Francis Wang(Executive Officer, Director)Connor Hund(Executive Officer)

Orbionspaceorbionspace.comin

Orbion manufactures Hall-effect electric propulsion systems for small satellites, enabling orbital maneuvers, lifetime extension, and cost reduction.

Deep TechHardwareSpace Tech

Oxipital AIoxipitalai.comin 𝕏

Oxipital AI develops V-CORTX, an AI vision platform for industrial manufacturers and machine builders to deploy machine vision for quality inspection and defect detection without coding or manual annotation.

Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningDeep Tech

Ripple Foodsripplefoods.com

Ripple Foods makes plant-based milk, shakes, and half & half products from yellow peas, marketed as sustainable alternatives to dairy and other plant-based milks.

Climate TechConsumerDirect to ConsumerFoodTechImpact & Social Good<UNKNOWN>, US

Adam Lowry(Co-founder)Dr. Neil Renninger(Co-founder)

Sonerasonera.io

Sonera Magnetics

Novel sensing technology for non-invasive brain-computer interfaces enabling high-performance signal detection without superconducting sensors.

SOURCE Globalsource.co

Hydropanels technology producing clean drinking water using only sunlight and air for global water access.

Christopher Mirick(Executive Officer)Al-Hussein Dahya(Executive Officer)CODY FRIESEN(Executive Officer, Director)NICHOLAS WALROD(Director)

BoardErik Snyder(Director)Carmichael Roberts(Director)

Still Brightstillbright.coin

Still Bright develops electrochemical copper extraction technology that replaces traditional smelting, enabling faster, cleaner copper production from previously unrecoverable sources.

CleantechNew MaterialsNew Jersey, US

Talus Renewables

First commercial modular zero-carbon green ammonia system producing lower-cost, carbon-free ammonia at point of use for multiple industries.

Talusagtalusag.comin

Talusag produces modular, containerized green ammonia systems for local production near the point of use, serving agriculture, mining, and maritime sectors.

AgTechCleantechEnergy

Tierra Biosciencestierrabiosciences.com

Tierra Biosciences develops high-performance protein design technology, serving biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.

Biotech

Werewoolwerewool.bio

Women-led biotech company engineering high-performance protein-based textile fibers for fashion with sustainable alternatives to synthetic fibers.

BiotechBrooklyn, US

Valentina Gomez(Executive Officer, Director)Theanne Schiros(Executive Officer)Chui-lian Lee(Executive Officer, Director)

BoardCorinna Chen(Director)Michael Krel(Director)

WP Enginewpengine.comin 𝕏

WP Engine provides managed hosting and platform services for WordPress websites, serving companies and agencies of all sizes with infrastructure, tools, and support.

Cloud ComputingDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareSaaSAustin, US

Jason Cohen(Founder)

Rows marked “SEC filing” are inferred from directors named on the company's SEC Form D — public regulatory data, not a portfolio list published by the firm.

Frequently asked questions

What stage does Material Impact invest at?: Material Impact invests at the Seed, Series A, Series B stages.
What is Material Impact's typical check size?: Material Impact typically writes checks of $100K – $10M.
What sectors does Material Impact focus on?: Material Impact focuses on Biotech, Cleantech, Climate Tech, Deep Tech, Hardware, Impact & Social Good, New Materials, Semiconductors.
Where is Material Impact located?: Material Impact is headquartered in Boston, US.
Does Material Impact lead rounds?: Material Impact typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.

Media · Podcasts & interviews

featuring the team

Elyse Winer, Material Impact - VentureFizz Podcast Interview

VentureFizz · Elyse Winer

View: Interview with Carmichael Roberts, Ph.D., Co-founder & Managing Partner of Material Impact

Fairview Capital · Carmichael Roberts

Images

Co-investors · 1

S2G Investments

S2G Investments is a multi-stage investment firm focused on interconnected sectors including food & agriculture, oceans, and energy, backing companies pursuing market-based solutions to systemic environmental and health challenges.

Both backed · 1

Ripple Foods

Firms observed investing alongside Material Impact, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Material Impact's recorded portfolio.

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