Best Chemicals and Materials Companies in North Carolina, United States
The 121 best Chemicals and Materials companies in North Carolina, United States in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Albemarle.
Our analysis of 50 Chemicals and Materials companies
$3.9b in tracked funding; 74% of the stack-profiled cohort runs cloud-native; funding activity peaked in 2025.
Ranked: Best Chemicals and Materials companies in North Carolina
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Stage | Founder | Founded | Tech stack | Patents & IP focus | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albemarle Albemarle is a leading provider of essential elements, including lithium, bromine, and others, committed to… 89Funding top 16%Patents top 18%Talent top 24%Market top 25% All 13 signals ▾Fundingtop 16% Patentstop 18% Talenttop 24% Markettop 25% Techtop 27% Fin. healthtop 28% Moattop 28% Innovationtop 30% Producttop 35% Partnerstop 37% Newstop 38% Growthbottom 47% Globalbottom 45% Funding: Raised $122M across 6 rounds · 6 rounds over 5 yrs (1.2/yr) Patents: 3,136 patents matched (strict assignee match) · 386 filings since 2022 vs 442 in 2017-21 rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 89/100 | $122M | 13 mo ago | Public | Luther Kissam CEO | 1994 | DrupalApple iCloud MailMicrosoft 365+19 | 3,136 patents Lithium battery recycling and flame‑retardant polymer additive technologies | 1 partnership |
| 2 | B&W Fiberglass Manufacturer of glass fibers 40Funding top 27%Talent bottom 49%Market bottom 41%Growth bottom 41% All 5 signals ▾Fundingtop 27% Talentbottom 49% Marketbottom 41% Growthbottom 41% Globalbottom 32% Funding: Raised $40.0M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 2 yrs (0.5/yr) Talent: 1 named leader on record · 1 C-suite/founder profile curated rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 40/100 | $40M | 23 mo ago | Funding Raised | Brent Beason CEO & President | 1991 | — | — | — |
| 3 | Kyma Tech Provider of Finnish-language radio broadcasts | $6M | 76 mo ago | Funding Raised | Heather Splawn President & CEO | 1998 | Webflow EcommerceCart FunctionalityWebflow+13 | — | — |
| 4 | GreenFire Manufacturer of wet foaming products | $1M | 67 mo ago | Acquired | — | 2016 | WordPressTypeScriptPHP+32 | — | — |
| 5 | Qualice Manufacturer of chlorine and chlorine-based oilfield chemicals | $473K | 163 mo ago | Seed | — | 2012 | — | — | — |
| 6 | BEAR FIBER Manufacturer of industrial fibres | $100K | 69 mo ago | Funding Raised | Guy Carpenter Co-Founder & President | 2017 | — | — | — |
| 7 | Third Floor Materials Developer of next generation infrared optoelectronic materials and devices | — | 72 mo ago | Funding Raised | Christopher T Shelton Co-Founder | 2016 | — | — | — |
| 8 | Unifi Manufacturer of recycled performance fibers and resins | — | 97 mo ago | Public | Eddie Ingle CEO & Director | 1971 | DrupalPHPTailwind CSS+17 | 3 patents Automated BIM compliance integration and continuous‑tension air‑membrane roofing technologies. | 1 award |
Top 9 Chemicals and Materials companies in North Carolina
#1
Public · Charlotte, North Carolina · founded 1994 · 9184 employees$121.8Mraised▾
Albemarle is a global leader in the production of essential elements, including lithium and bromine, with a commitment to building a more resilient world. The company operates globally, with a presence in various countries and regions. Albemarle's products are used in a variety of industries, including chemicals, energy, and materials. The company is dedicated to innovation, sustainability, and customer satisfaction.
- May 2025Grant (prize money)$1.4M
- Jan 2025Grant (prize money)$1.4M
- Sep 2023Grant (prize money)$90M
- Oct 2022Grant (prize money)—
#2
Funding Raised · Shelby, North Carolina · founded 1991 · 120 employees$40Mraised▾
Manufacturer of glass fibers
- Jul 2024Conventional Debt$40M
#3
Funding Raised · Raleigh, North Carolina · founded 1998 · 13 employees$5.7Mraised▾
Provider of Finnish-language radio broadcasts. It offers news and information relevant to the Finnish-speaking community. The broadcasts include interviews, music, and other programming. Support for the service is encouraged through financial contributions. Listeners can access the broadcasts online.
- Feb 2020Grant (prize money)$200K
- Jun 2015Grant (prize money)$150K
- Oct 2013Grant (prize money)$3.2M
- Feb 2013Grant (prize money)$2.1M
#4
Acquired · Charlotte, North Carolina · founded 2016 · 17 employees$1.5Mraised▾
Manufacturer of wet foaming products
- Nov 2020Seed$1.5M
#5
Seed · Laurinburg, North Carolina · founded 2012$472.7Kraised▾
Manufacturer of chlorinated paraffin products catering to industrial market segments. The company uses custom back-integrated production processes to offer additives intended for coatings, adhesives and sealants for wide range of industrial applications and operational conditions within the lubricant industry.
#6
Funding Raised · Wilmington, North Carolina · founded 2017 · 2 employees$99.9Kraised▾
Developer of cotton-like hemp fiber designed to incorporate sustainability and longevity into technical textiles. The company refines and upgrades American Hemp Fiber, blends or spin yarns, knits and weaves textiles for the apparel or fashion industry, enabling businesses to find and order sustainable finished textile goods on a wholesale and retail basis.
- Sep 2020Grant (prize money)$99.9K
#7
Funding Raised · Raleigh, North Carolina · founded 2016 · 2 employees—raised▾
Developer of an algorithmic technology intended to assist infrared spectroscopy and optical components for specialized IR applications. The company's technology uses magnetron sputtering, plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy, pulsed laser deposition, resistive and e-beam evaporation, metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy, and chemical solution deposition that offers coating services on a wide range of substrate materials and shapes, enabling users to assist with photonic design, concept development, and feasibility studies.
#8
Public · Greensboro, North Carolina · founded 1971—raised▾
Manufacturer of recycled performance fibers and resins. It transforms post-consumer plastics into sustainable products and offers textile-to-textile recycling solutions. The company provides filament yarn, spun yarn, staple fiber, resin, and rPET flake. A key brand, REPREVE, is a leading recycled performance fiber and resin, traceable and certified. Products are used across various industries, and the company supports its supply chain with industry-recognized certifications. Sustainability is integrated into all aspects of the business, from production to website design.
#9
Acquired · Greensboro, North Carolina · founded 1994 · 15000 employees—raised▾
Manufacturer & distributor of sewing threads and textiles
- 2007Series A—
Funding & investor landscape
Notable founders
Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage
Share of Chemicals and Materials coverage by sub-theme.
Regulatory-risk over time rising
Funding & growth over time
funding rising · growth rising
Common questions
Riya reads income statements for fun. She covers the real money in a sector — revenue, growth, who actually earns — and never met a vague claim she didn't want a number for.