Carmichael S. Roberts is a successful entrepreneur-investor with experience building companies and commercializing university-based technology. He is an investment committee partner at Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a mission-oriented group committed to changing the world by creating and building companies that address the threat of climate change and long-term sustainability of the planet. He is also a founding partner of Material Impact, a Boston-based fund that builds resilient technology companies developing products to solve real-world problems using innovative materials.

Before starting his career as an entrepreneur, Carmichael worked in business development at GelTex Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Genzyme) and at Sentry Products, a life science venture wholly owned by Union Carbide Corporation (acquired by Dow Chemical). He currently serves as Vice Chairman for the Board of Trustees of Duke University and serves on the boards for the Consumer Technology Association, WGBH, and Massachusetts General Hospital Physician Organization.

Carmichael received his BS and PhD in organic chemistry from Duke University and completed his postdoctoral National Science Foundation fellowship at Harvard University. He also has an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management. Carmichael was recently selected as the Edison Achievement Award winner for his contributions to innovative technology solutions and was ranked #1 on the Boston Globe’s Tech Power Players 50 list.