Technology Spotlight: An Interview with Carbice

As part of Beaumont Bailey’s mission to connect founders, innovators, and key players that make up the fabric of our industry, our latest Technology Spotlight series highlights the successes of our incredible members and wider network. In this instalment we speak with Tony Fernandez-Stoll, Chief Revenue Officer at Carbice.

Tell me a little bit about Carbice, your career path, and how you became introduced to the company.

I’ve been in the industry for over 30 years, with the last 20 spent at AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) within the semiconductor space. I originally joined AMD through its acquisition of ATI, a company specialising in graphics chips and cards, back in 2006. Throughout my time there, I held various roles across sales, marketing, and regional leadership, most recently managing the Lenovo account to drive product design alignment, demand, and account health.

I was introduced to the opportunity at Carbice through a recruiter, and the timing was perfect as I was transitioning between roles at AMD. I was fascinated by Carbice’s technology and the broader opportunity. It offers a comprehensive thermal cooling solution, emphasising the word ‘solution’, which not only includes a cutting-edge product but also valuable expertise in product design and thermal performance. The company has been around for 11 years but has recently shifted focus toward the data centre market, an area with significant growth and urgent thermal challenges. What drew me to Carbice was the chance to help build something from the ground up on the sales and marketing side, contribute to shaping the company culture, and work for a U.S.-based materials manufacturer, all very exciting prospects.

Go into the technology in a bit more detail. What main problems is Carbice solving?

Carbice addresses a longstanding issue in electronics: managing heat at high-performance thresholds over time. Traditionally, companies have used thermal paste for cooling solutions. While effective at first, thermal paste degrades over time, which impacts system performance and reliability.

Our solution replaces thermal paste with a pad made from vertically grown carbon nanotubes on aluminium foil. This pad is easy to apply: peel and stick, and importantly, it maintains or even improves thermal performance over time, instead of degrading.

From a sustainability perspective, the Carbice material is composed mainly of aluminium and gas, making it recyclable at the end of its lifecycle. It can simply be recycled alongside aluminium cans, making it a more environmentally friendly option compared to conventional thermal materials that often require special disposal.

What are the main markets that your product is for? How does it disrupt the industry it is operating in?

We focus on four key markets:

1. Data Centres – a high-growth, high-performance market with significant thermal challenges.
2. Power Modules/UPS – systems where efficient thermal management is critical.
3. Space – one of our original markets, with Carbice materials already used in satellites.
4. Automotive – as vehicles become more technologically complex, they require advanced cooling for batteries, computers, and in-car systems.

In terms of disruption, Carbice redefines how companies think about thermal management. Rather than viewing it purely as a material cost (the visible ‘tip of the iceberg’), we work to help customers realise the hidden costs beneath the surface: material storage, replacement, downtime, and maintenance costs associated with traditional thermal solutions. Our pad significantly reduces these hidden costs and risks, ultimately improving overall operational efficiency and saving customers money in ways traditional solutions can’t.

How have you seen this industry change over the years, and where do you predict it is heading?

The demands on thermal management have increased dramatically. Today, products operate at much higher performance thresholds, and maintaining consistent thermal performance over time is essential. There’s been a shift from simply managing heat to fully integrating thermal solutions into product and system designs.

Looking ahead, thermal solutions will become even more critical as industries like AI, autonomous vehicles, and edge computing continue to evolve. Companies will need reliable, sustainable, and scalable cooling technologies, making what Carbice is offering increasingly vital.

Have there been any recent developments in scaling your facilities or product production?

We partner with Dow Chemical, particularly to target the automotive sector. In Europe, we partner with Foxy.

We are actively recruiting additional solution providers across different regions to help us scale globally. Building out these partnerships is critical as we expand our business into Europe and APJ (Asia-Pacific-Japan) markets.

What do you find the most challenging about the talent market right now, specific to your industry?

Currently, the biggest challenge is finding talent that can be agile, adaptable, and effective across multiple domains. In today’s environment, especially in sales and marketing, specialists who can pivot quickly and work across functions are essential. In engineering, it’s increasingly difficult to find professionals who are not just technically strong but also understand the business and customer needs – true unicorns.

At Carbice, we have a solid foundation of employees who blend technical and business expertise, but as we scale, finding and hiring more talent with that hybrid capability will be critical to our growth.

If you would like to discuss any of the topics raised in this piece or if you need support with your leadership resourcing strategy, please get in touch with Emma Callahan on: emma.callahan@beaumontbailey.com.