Keith Azzopardi had expected to spend his life in academia. Up until the last year of his PhD in metamaterials at the University of Malta, he’d imagined himself teaching, publishing and advancing the fundamentals of science.

However, while academic research could make breakthroughs, someone else usually picked it up, commercialized it and took it into the world. For Keith, that wasn’t enough. “If I’m working on something, I want to see it realized in my lifetime,” he says. This conviction would steer him away from academia and into entrepreneurship, on a mission to transform everyday materials into products that can improve lives at scale.

While working on his PhD, he was introduced to Edward Borg on a night out in Malta. They bonded over their shared frustration at not being able to achieve what they wanted in life, and this meeting eventually led to them launching Thought3D, an R&D company focused on additive manufacturing that was inspired by Keith’s job in 3D printing at the university. Andrei-Andy Linnas, who was the manager of the university incubator at the time, joined as a third partner, bringing a business viewpoint to their engineering skills.

Thought3D developed into a global presence with partnerships in 50 countries and two patented solutions: Magicgoo (an all-in-one 3D printing adhesive) and Drywise (an inline filament dryer). It also developed and licensed products for some of the biggest players in the field, including chemical giants such as BASF. Meanwhile, Keith was revisiting an idea from his university research that had never left the lab: a type of foam that expands when stretched instead of becoming thinner, like conventional materials. He and his cofounder negotiated a license from the university, took the embryonic concept, and started testing.

Their validation strategy was unorthodox: armed with a datasheet describing what the material could do, they presented it at conferences as if it already existed. “We went to multiple conferences with an MVP which is a world away from the actual product we have today,” Keith says. Big chemical companies and foam companies (e.g. in apparel and footwear) had tried to make a material like this but couldn’t find a way to produce it. Traditionally, producing such foam would have required costly and energy-intensive post-processing, but Keith and his team had pioneered a method to synthesize it directly, eliminating the inefficiencies that had prevented others from scaling. “We realized, yes, we have a way to crack it, we know how to produce it, and this is something of interest.” The applications were vast: from mattresses and protective equipment to sportswear, transportation and beyond. We realized we could provide not only comfort but also support and pain relief,” Keith says.

Founded in 2020, Smart Materials Ltd set out to commercialize auxetic flexible polyurethane foam, its breakthrough material. The company’s vision is simple but ambitious: improve a million lives by 2030 through better materials, starting with sleep, and keep going from there. “There were a lot of drivers,” he says. “Personally, knowing it has a big environmental impact is one of them.” The first consumer product was a mattress designed not just for luxury but to address back pain and related conditions. For Keith, this is personal. He suffers from sciatica, and his mother endured severe spinal problems when he was a child. “If I can solve that for someone, it’s a big win.” The mission, improving a million lives by 2030, is not just a slogan but a conviction.

This blend of scientific innovation and human empathy defines Smart Materials. Though positioned as a B2B company licensing its technology, the company also goes directly to consumers with Huggah, its mattress line. It is both a business opportunity and a way to ground its mission in people’s lives. Beyond mattresses, there are potential applications in protective gear, sports and transport.

Developing Smart Materials took five years and more than €1.5 million before the product reached market readiness. The barriers to entry were high, and the technical challenges and the emotional toll were immense. ”I was from the old school mentality that you just push and push, wear those hundred hours a week as a badge of honor. I’ve collapsed a few times and was hospitalized because of exhaustion. I missed family events and weddings, as work was always more important,” he says. But a turning point came when he reluctantly attended a founder retreat, Founder Taboo. It was part of a prize from Pitch Black, a pitch competition he had initially considered skipping because he was afraid he’d miss out on work. “But then I decided to treat it like work,” he says. Over three days, he learned to treat self-care not as indulgence but as a prerequisite for leadership. “It’s not selfishness to take care of yourself. If you take care of yourself, your team performs better and ultimately your company does too.”

“I thought you’d only stop working when you fall on the floor, when you literally can’t move. But when I was exhausted, I made mistakes.” Now decisions are made with more patience. “It’s still a work in progress. I still get exhausted now and then, but now, I try to prevent it. Gym sessions are a must. Time with family and friends, as well as time in nature, are non-negotiables. That’s working very well for me.”

Startups are long games, and building deeptech in materials science is much slower than scaling an SaaS platform. “Our metrics are five to ten years down the line,” Keith says. “I’m still learning, but that grit always comes first.

Across more than a decade of building companies, Keith has developed a set of clear guidelines to live by: “Don’t expect glory, and leave ego at the door. You’re not alone, which makes your team is everything: they’re giving you a lot, so make sure you’re giving them what they deserve back. And don’t fall in love with your product; if anything, fall in love with the problem you’re trying to solve and make sure it’s something important for you personally.”

He also notes that while customer feedback can be difficult to hear, it’s essential. “Customers will lie to you. People hate confrontation, so they’ll tell you what you want to hear just to get rid of you. Talk to your customers anyway.” He also cautions against celebrating funding rounds as if they were victories in themselves. “Funding is giving away part of your life,” he says. “It needs to be the bridge that gets your baby over the line, not the finish line itself.”

Keith’s long-standing collaboration with his cofounders, Edward Borg and Andrei-Andy Linnas, is another cornerstone of his journey. The trio have now been building companies side by side for nearly a decade, united by trust, persistence and the ability to walk away from disagreements. “We’ve had heated arguments, but we walk away, cool down and remember we share the same goal,” he says. Regular updates, role-sharing across the two companies and the ability to borrow resources between Thought3D and Smart Materials have kept the partnership strong. “If you don’t have trust and shared scope, it won’t work.”

Keith has watched Malta’s ecosystem evolve over 10 years, from its early waves of enthusiasm to today’s more structured environment. When Thought3D was founded in 2014, Malta’s startup ecosystem was almost nonexistent. It was a pioneering period, but resources and awareness were thin. Smart Materials, launched in 2020, benefited from a more mature ecosystem with government programs, active investor interest and peer networks. “Everyone calls themselves a founder now,” Keith says, reflecting on how quickly the culture has shifted. He credits organizations like Silicon Valletta for building communities of experienced founders, SuperCharger Ventures for expanding into edtech and Malta Enterprise for backing events and funding. He also sees progress in government support and private investment, though he cautions that patience is needed. “It will take at least ten years and a lot of money lost before there’s broad acceptance. But that money has to be spent for success to happen.”

One cultural hurdle, he believes, is Malta’s reluctance to publicize success. Several local exits worth hundreds of millions have gone uncelebrated, leaving younger founders without role models. “Nothing motivates more than knowing someone here just made €100 million. If that story stays hidden, the ecosystem misses out on its biggest driver.” Still, with diversification beyond gaming and finance, and with growing investor interest, he sees the trajectory as positive. “If we keep going for ten years, we’ll be flying.”

Do you have a favorite book?
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*** by Mark Manson, and How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, which is essential for an introvert.

The most underrated work tool?
Pen and paper, plus walls and windows around the office, used as giant whiteboards.

How old were you when you started your first business?
I started a small insurance project in my late teens.

What do you do to start the day right?
Early gym session, sometimes ice baths, quiet work from 7 AM, then planning with my managers before the chaos of the day begins.

What’s your favorite place for creative thinking?
The company’s own office, designed for focus.

One coffeeshop you’d recommend?
Lot61 has the best coffee.

Which museum would you recommend?
The Maritime Museum, but you need to do a guided tour. That said, walking around Malta is like walking in a museum.

What food should newcomers try?
Seasonal specialties like snails or spinach pies, and traditional dishes like rabbit stew.

Do you have a favorite weekend activity in Malta?
Family and friends first, with hiking and nature whenever possible; diving when time allows.

Best diving spots in Malta?
Cirkewwa and Qawra in the north, with clear water and large fish.