# Material Impact Fund

Material Impact Fund is a Private Equity based in Boston, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Private Equity
- **Headquarters:** Boston, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Boston, MA, United States
- **Founded:** 2015
- **Assets under management:** $700M+ (per Material Impact, year not specified on firm website)
- **Website:** www.materialimpact.com
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/material-impact

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

Material Impact is a champion of the bravest ideas for the future, building companies from the ground up that turn material science and deep tech innovation into products that solve enduring, large-scale, real-world problems.

## Sectors

- Deep Tech
- Advanced Materials
- ClimateTech
- Industrial Tech

## People

- Carmichael Roberts — Co-Founder & Managing Partner

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at Material Impact?

Investment decisions are led by Co-Founder and Managing Partner Carmichael Roberts, a Ph.D. polymer chemist who previously built and exited materials companies. The partnership operates with a flat structure where Roberts and the senior investment team — supported by strategic and entrepreneurial advisors — jointly diligence and underwrite every new company. The advisory network is formalized and specifically recruited for domain expertise in manufacturing scale-up, regulatory affairs, and materials supply chains.

### How does Material Impact source proprietary deal flow?

Material Impact sources predominantly through deep relationships with research universities — such as MIT, Harvard, and Stanford — and national laboratories where material-science IP originates. The firm also cultivates a network of corporate R&D executives and serial founders who surface pre-commercial inventions before they reach formal fundraising processes. This origination model is designed to secure access to technologies that never come to traditional auction.

### Is Material Impact structured more like a venture firm or a project-finance investor for deep tech?

Material Impact operates as a hybrid venture firm with a company-creation function. It makes traditional equity investments but also plays an active role in recruiting management, forging industrial partnerships, and navigating regulatory pathways — activities more typical of a holding company or a specialized project-finance sponsor. This operational intensity sets it apart from passive early-stage check writers.

### Does Material Impact participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?

Material Impact deploys exclusively through direct equity and co-investment in individual companies. It does not operate as a fund-of-funds and does not allocate capital to external managers. The firm's first-check mandate means it is often the sole institutional investor at formation, though it will syndicate subsequent rounds with other venture firms when industrial or strategic investors are needed.

### What investment stages does Material Impact typically target?

Material Impact targets inception and seed-stage companies — what the firm calls 'first money in for first-of-their-kind innovations.' It occasionally participates in Series A rounds for existing portfolio companies but does not pursue growth-stage or late-stage venture deals. The strategy requires the firm to underwrite technical risk at a point when most financial investors will not engage.

### How is Material Impact's B Corp status connected to its investment operations?

Material Impact is a certified B Corporation with a B Impact score of 107.7, which legally embeds its dual purpose — generating returns while addressing urgent environmental and human needs — into its fiduciary responsibilities. This certification is not a marketing overlay; it subjects the firm to ongoing third-party audits of its portfolio's social and environmental performance and is disclosed to limited partners during fundraising.

## Related profiles

- [Material](https://altss.com/profile/material)
- [Material Ventures](https://altss.com/profile/material-ventures)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

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