Fundraising Fox
Boston · Seed–Series A · 18 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.
Source: firm website, verified Sep 29, 2026.
Team · 18 people
from the firm's website & curated
Founder mafia
The Material Impact mafia →7 people who came through Material Impact went on to found or lead other companies.
What they invest in
from 35 of 47 portfolio companiesCleantech ×13New Materials ×11Deep Tech ×10Biotech ×9Advanced Manufacturing ×8AI & Machine Learning ×8Hardware ×8Climate Tech ×5
HQs:United States×28Germany×1
Who they back
founder profiles across 26 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×122 founders×53 founders×74+ founders×2
Where their founders studiedfrom 19 founders with education data
Massachusetts Institute of Technology ×8Fashion Institute of Technology ×2Harvard Business School ×2Purdue University ×2
What their founders studiedfrom 22 founders with field-of-study data
Engineering ×14Business & Management ×5Design & Architecture ×2
Where their founders worked beforefrom 22 founders with career history
Massachusetts Institute of Technology ×3Stanford University ×2Tenkara ×2University of Michigan ×2
10 founders hold a PhD · 3 hold an MBA (of 23 with degree data)
Investments · 47 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2026 · 12025 · 42024 · 32023 · 52022 · 42021 · 32020 · 52019 · 12018 · 127 dated
Nauticus Robotics builds autonomous underwater robots and AI-powered control software for subsea operations, aiming to replace crewed vessels and divers.
AI & Machine LearningCleantechRoboticsWebster, US
Nicolaus Radford(Executive Officer, Director)inJohn W. Gibson, Jr.(President and Chief Executive Officer)inBrian Allen(Chief Revenue Officer)inJimena Begaries(Interim Chief Financial Officer)inMichael Ferrier(General Counsel)inDonnelly Bohan(Executive Officer)
Board seatAdam Sharkawy· per SEC Form D
Debut applies AI and biotechnology to discover and formulate cosmetic ingredients and beauty products, decoding skin and hair at the genomic level to create novel actives.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningBiotechConsumerSan Diego, US
Joshua Britton(Founder)inBrady Beauchamp(Founder)Greg Weiss(Founder)
BoardCain A. McClary(Director)in
Co-investorsGS FuturesBreakout VenturesKdT VenturesSandbox IndustriesACVC PartnersBetter Ventures Central Llc+12 more
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6K uses microwave plasma technology (Unimelt) to produce engineered materials, including battery cathode materials and metal powders for additive manufacturing, with an emphasis on sustainable processes.
Advanced ManufacturingCleantechEnergyNew MaterialsNorth Andover, US
Kamal Hadidi(Founder)
Board seatAdam Sharkawy· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsAnzu PartnersEnergy Impact PartnersHG VenturesIn-Q-Tel
actnano develops PFAS-free, gel-state conformal coatings (Advanced nanoGUARD) that protect printed circuit boards and electronics from water, condensation, and harsh environments.
CleantechHardwareNew MaterialsCambridge, US
S. Taymur Ahmad(Executive Officer, Director)inTaymur Ahmad(Founder)inWilliam Brewer(Executive Officer)inJames F. Sheridan, Jr.(Executive Officer)Ivan Ardemagni(Executive Officer)inTimothy Scott Housefield(Executive Officer)
Board seatAdam Sharkawy· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsBMW i VenturesEmerald Technology Ventures AgEssentia VenturesGC VenturesLiquidity CapitalSeraph Group+2 more
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)in
Board seatAdam Sharkawy· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsBacchus Venture CapitalBoro CapitalBoston Harbor AngelsCerity Partners VenturesFitz Gate VenturesIcebook Investments Corp.
Folio Photonics develops optical storage media using multi-layer read/write materials science to provide enterprise-scale, immutable active archive storage.
Data & InfrastructureDeep TechNew MaterialsSolon, US
Kenneth D. Singer(Executive Officer, Director)Steven J. Santamaria(Executive Officer, Director)inRonald B. Richard(Director)Robert D. Pavey(Director)Felix Brueck(Director)
Board seatAdam Sharkawy· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsCWRU Technology VenturesJobsOhio VenturesRefinery VentureForte Ventures
Boston, US
Ian Randall(Executive Officer, Director)in
BoardRoderick Randall(Director)Carmichael Roberts(Director)inRod Randall(Director)inChristian Garcia(Director)in
Board seatBen Schlatka· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsBreakthrough Energy VenturesGrit Capital PartnersMoai CapitalStage 1 Ventures
NextGen Jane runs a longitudinal molecular study of women's menstruation, using an at-home organic cotton tampon collection kit that members mail in to derive genomic insights from uterine samples.
BiotechDigital HealthFemTechHealthtechOakland, US
Stephen Gire(Director)Ridhi Tariyal(Executive Officer, Director)in
Board seatAdam Sharkawy· per SEC Form D
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
BENJAMIN STERN(Executive Officer, Director)inAzhar Yerzhanova(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardMelissa Fensterstock(Executive Officer, Director)in
Board seatAdam Sharkawy· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsSafer MadeRadical Investments
Orbion Space Technology builds Hall-effect electric propulsion systems for small-satellite constellations, providing integrated thrusters, power processing units, and propellant management for in-space maneuvers.
Deep TechHardwareSpace TechHoughton, US
Lyon (Brad) King(CEO)inJason D. Sommerville(CTO)inRob Washeleski(CDO)inJorge Ramos(CFO)inLarry Bates(VP, Manufacturing)
BoardJohn Rockwell(Director)in
Board seatAdam Sharkawy· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsBeringeaID VenturesInventus Capital PartnersInvest MichiganMichigan RiseSVQuad+2 more
Soft Robotics Inc. rebranded as Oxipital AI after divesting its robotic gripper business to the Schmalz Group in August 2024, shifting its focus to machine vision inspection and defect detection technology.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningRoboticsBedford, US
Jeff Beck(Executive Officer, Director)in
BoardGeorge Whitesides(Director)inRory O'Driscoll(Director)inKevin Dunlap(Director)
Board seatAdam SharkawyCarmichael Roberts· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsIn-Q-TelTekfen VenturesCalibrate VenturesHoneywell VenturesHyperplane Venture CapitalScale Venture Partners
AgZen develops real-time monitoring technology for crop spraying, analyzing droplet behavior to help growers and agricultural equipment manufacturers optimize application efficiency.
AgTechAI & Machine LearningFintechHardwareImpact & Social GoodMedia & EntertainmentSomerville, US
Vishnu Jayaprakash(Founder)inKripa Varanasi(Director)inMaher Damak
BoardCarmichael S. Roberts(Director)Justin Kern(Director)
Co-investorsAstanor VenturesDCVC (Data Collective)DCVC BioSyngenta Group Ventures
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)inTommy Joyner(Sr. VP of Engineering)inMarc Bouchet(Chief of Staff)inAndrey Reznik(Chief Financial Officer)
Co-investorsFoothill VenturesTDK VenturesXoraWalden CatalystXora Innovation Pte Ltd
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Bloomer Tech develops digital biomarkers and precision cardiovascular care built around female physiology.
Digital HealthFemTechMedical Devices
Alicia Chong Rodriguez(Founder & CEO)inAceil Halaby(Founder & COO)in
Co-investorsCatalytic Impact Foundation
Coolant provides AI-powered forest monitoring that measures carbon sequestration, tree count, and species using consumer-grade drones and computer vision to build 3D forest models.
AI & Machine LearningCleantechClimate Tech
Michael D Wu(Founder)in
Co-investorsDorm RoomFlexcap VenturesNava Ventures
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
Michael Bell(Executive Officer)Robert J. Wood, Jr.(Executive Officer)
BoardSidney McLaurin(Executive Officer, Director)inCarmichael Roberts(Director)inFrank van Mierlo(Director)
Co-investorsGrit Ventures
Foundational Alloy develops engineering alloys through a solid-state process called MetalsFIRST, in which metal is produced without melting to create microstructures unreachable by conventional metallurgy while controlling oxygen and contaminants.
Advanced ManufacturingDeep TechNew Materials
Jasper Lienhard(Founder)Jake(Co-founder (company strategy, operations, financing, commercialization))Chris Schuh(Founder)Jake Guglin(Founder)Tim Rupert(Founder)
Co-investorsAlumni VenturesAmerica's Frontier FundBasecamp FundCastor VenturesEl Cap EquityOverlap Holdings+6 more
Fusion Coolant Systems makes Pure-Cut, a machine-tool cooling and lubrication system that uses supercritical carbon dioxide instead of traditional cutting fluids to extend tool life, improve surface finish, and reduce health and environmental risks in CNC machining.
Advanced ManufacturingCleantechHardware
Steve Skerlos(Founder & Chief Technology Officer)in
Co-investorsID VenturesInvest MichiganMichigan Rise
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
Luciano Bueno(Founder)inAmancio Ortega. Known for(Founder)Tim Draper(Founder)
BoardCarmichael Roberts(Director)inRyan Panchadsaram(Director)
Co-investorsAgronomicsArtesianBabel VenturesBreakthrough Energy VenturesBrincMundi Ventures+3 more
Gen Phoenix produces high-performance recycled materials, including recycled leather made from wet blue offcuts and post-industrial hide waste, for use in products such as footwear, aircraft seating, and consumer goods.
Circular EconomyCleantechNew Materials
Chris Bevan(Founder)
Co-investorsInMotion VenturesBootstrap EuropeETF PartnersTapestry VC
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)in
BoardCorinna Chen(CEO)in
Co-investorsiGlobe PartnersVectors AngelPivotal Ventures
Infinite Cooling develops patented technology to capture airborne water droplets and improve the efficiency of evaporative cooling systems such as cooling towers, aiming to reduce water use and energy consumption for industrial customers like power plants.
CleantechClimate TechDeep TechMalden, US
Kripa Varanasi(Director, Promoter)inKarim Khalil(Executive Officer, Promoter)inMaher Damak(Founder)in
BoardCARMICHAEL ROBERTS(Director)inJEFFREY MCCARTHY(Director)PHIL COOPER(Director)
Co-investorsMassVentures
Jump Aero develops an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft designed for first responders to reach emergency scenes quickly, with a focus on cutting rural emergency response times.
Deep TechHardwareMobility & Transportation
Carl Dietrich(Founder)inJeff Myjak(Co-founder)Katerina Barilov(Co-founder)Brian Lozano(Chief Technology Officer)inJeremy Bardell(COO, Senior Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineer)in
Co-investorsBantam GroupCapital FactoryMSIV
Koloma explores and produces natural hydrogen to support global decarbonization efforts.
CleantechClimate TechDeep TechEnergyDenver, US
Jeff Knupp(Executive Officer)inBunmi Adekore(Executive Officer, Director)Paul Harraka(Executive Officer)inPeter Johnson(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardChristian Garcia(Director)inShayle Kann(Director)in
Co-investorsBreakthrough Energy VenturesCongruent VenturesEnergy Impact PartnersEvok InnovationsK5 GlobalMOL Switch+7 more
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
Co-investorsARC Angel FundIcebook Investments Corp.In-Q-Tel
Industrial Magnetics manufactures and supplies magnetic separation equipment and industrial magnet systems for powder and bulk solids processing, material handling, and pneumatic conveying applications across manufacturing and processing industries.
Advanced ManufacturingHardwareNew Materials
Co-investorsDns CapitalBaruch Future VenturesEvergreen Climate InnovationsGuinness Ventures
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(Scientific Founder & Director)Dr. Andrey Ivankin(Co-Founder & CTO)Jeffrey Erhardt(Executive Officer, Director)Ben Schlatka(CEO & Director)inLouis Simpson(Director)
BoardQuinten Stevens(Director)
Co-investorsKairos Venture Investments, Llc
NanoGraf develops a silicon-based high-energy-density anode material intended to replace graphite anodes and improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries.
CleantechEnergyNew MaterialsChicago, US
Samir Mayekar(NanoGraf Founder; Government & Policy Advisor)inFrancis Wang(Executive Officer, Director)inConnor Hund(Executive Officer)inErik Birkerts(Chief Executive Officer)inKara Rodby(Chief Strategy Officer)inJia Chow(VP of Manufacturing)
Co-investorsEarth FoundryEmerald Technology Ventures AgEnergy FoundryEvergreen Climate InnovationsVolta Energy TechnologiesHyde Park Angels
Orbion provides a computational platform for protein engineering that characterizes sequences, ranks stabilizing mutations, predicts construct expression, and generates experimental protocols to filter designs before lab synthesis.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep TechBerlin, DE
Aniruddh Goteti(Co-Founder)inÇağlar Bozkurt(Co-Founder)in
Co-investorsAntlerQAI VenturesAnn Arbor SPARKBeringeaInventus Capital PartnersInvest Detroit+2 more
Oxipital AI builds AI-based machine vision technology, including its V-CORTX platform, cameras, and no-code dashboards, for inspection and vision-guided robotics applications.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningDeep TechRobotics
Co-investorsCalibrate VenturesScale Venture PartnersTyson New Ventures
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 GoodBerkeley, US
Adam Lowry(Founder)Dr. Neil Renninger(Co-founder)Neil Renninger(Founder)
Co-investorsBloom8Collaborative FundEvolution VC PartnersFall Line CapitalGroundForce CapitalGV (Google Ventures)+9 more
Hydropanels technology producing clean drinking water using only sunlight and air for global water access.
Scottsdale, US
CODY FRIESEN(Executive Officer, Director)inChristopher Mirick(Executive Officer)inAl-Hussein Dahya(Executive Officer)
BoardErik Snyder(Director)Carmichael Roberts(Director)inJim Matheson(Director)in
Co-investorsBaruch Future VenturesBreakthrough Energy VenturesCool Climate CollectiveR/GA VenturesThe Lightsmith GroupWIND Ventures
Still Bright develops hydrometallurgical copper extraction technology that replaces traditional smelting, aiming to recover copper and other critical metals more efficiently and with less pollution.
CleantechClimate TechNew MaterialsNew Jersey, US
Randy Allen(Founder)inJon Vardner(Founder)inScott Banta(Founder)Alan West(Chief Science Officer, Co-founder)
Co-investorsAzolla VenturesBreakthrough Energy VenturesCollaborative FundSOSVThird Derivative
Talusag produces modular, containerized green ammonia systems for local production near the point of use, serving agriculture, mining, and maritime sectors.
AgTechCleantechEnergy
Hiro Iwanaga(Founder)in
Co-investorsCavallo Ventures
Tierra Biosciences develops high-performance protein design technology, serving biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.
Biotech
Co-investorsBeresford VenturesCreative VenturesFifty YearsFREEFLOWIn-Q-TelHumboldt+2 more
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)inTheanne Schiros(Executive Officer)Chui-lian Lee(Founder)in
BoardCorinna Chen(Director)inMichael Krel(Director)in
Co-investorsSofinnova Partners
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
Bloomer Health TechDataculeActnanoAmastan TechnologiesHuueInfinitecoolingSoneraSonera MagneticsSourceTalusTalus Renewables
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.
Exits · 2
1 IPOs · 1 acquisitionsNauticus RoboticsNASDAQ: KITTSonera Magneticsacq. by Apple
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesAmperesand · finsmes.com · Nov 19, 2025
Still Bright · finsmes.com · Aug 4, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Material Impact made?
- Material Impact has 47 tracked investments, 2 of which have exited, including 5 dated in the last 24 months.
- What stage does Material Impact invest at?
- Material Impact invests at the Seed, Series A 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.
- Who does Material Impact co-invest with?
- Material Impact most often shares deals with Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Cavallo Ventures, In-Q-Tel, among 115 tracked co-investors.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamElyse 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 is a multi-asset investment firm focused on scaling durable, market-defining businesses across food & agriculture, energy, and oceans.
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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