MF Fire
MF Fire designs and manufactures advanced, EPA 2020 compliant wood burning stoves with patented combustion science and smart controls, serving US and Canadian residential homeowners who rely on wood for primary or supplemental heating.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersBaltimore, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What MF Fire does
MF Fire is a Baltimore-based combustion science and clean-technology company that designs and manufactures advanced wood burning stoves for the residential market. The company, founded in 2013 by University of Maryland fire science researchers Taylor Myers and Ryan Fisher, holds five patent-pending technologies covering swirl combustion, real-time combustion monitoring, TurboStart airflow, proactive over-fire prevention, and learning-based efficiency optimization. Its products target the approximately 12 million US homes that use wood as a primary or secondary heat source, with measured emissions below 0.2 grams per hour — more than ten times cleaner than the EPA 2020 standard of 2.0 g/hr and 23 times cleaner than the prior threshold.
The company's commercial portfolio centers on two product lines. The Catalyst is the flagship smart wood stove, the first smartphone-controlled stove of its kind, with automated combustion management, over-fire prevention, and a Bluetooth-connected iOS/Android/Amazon app. The Nova Series, launched in October 2018, is a family of EPA 2020 compliant catalytic wood stoves offered in Freestanding, Tower, Bench, and Insert configurations, with 79% maximum efficiency and pricing starting at $2,495. A third product, FireMAPS, was being prepared for launch in 2024 as a retrofit smart fire assistant that reduces emissions from existing wood stoves, materially expanding the addressable market beyond the company's own installed base. Manufacturing occurs at a facility in Smithsburg, Maryland, and all products are positioned as 100% made in the USA.
MF Fire operates a hybrid go-to-market model combining direct e-commerce on mffire.com with an authorized dealer network across the United States and Canada. The dealer locator offers a $100 lead-generation discount. Revenue is generated through one-time hardware sales of stoves, accessories (hearth pads, blower fans, make-up air kits), and supporting components; the Catalyst app is provided free of charge. The company has raised approximately $1.93M in disclosed equity capital across multiple small rounds (most recently $199K in March 2024 and $534K in May 2021), supplemented by a $2 million non-dilutive Department of Energy grant in October 2019 and early-stage backing from TEDCO, the Abell Foundation, and the University of Maryland Momentum Fund. The company is privately held, with Paul LaPorte serving as CEO.
MF Fire firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- MF Fire
- Legal name
- MF Fire, Inc.
- Website
- https://mffire.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- MF Fire designs and manufactures advanced, EPA 2020 compliant wood burning stoves with patented combustion science and smart controls, serving US and Canadian residential homeowners who rely on wood for primary or supplemental heating.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
MF Fire industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Wood Stoves / Residential Home Heating Equipment
- NAICS
- Heating Equipment (except Warm Air Furnaces) Manufacturing (333414)
- SIC
- Heating Equipment, Except Electric & Warm Air Furnaces (3433)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Boilers, Furnaces & Process Heating Equipment (IMAHAKAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Industrial Boilers, HRSGs & Steam Generators (IMAHAFAF)
Keywords
Where MF Fire is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Baltimore
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
MF Fire business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Wood Stove Sales: Primary revenue from selling wood burning stoves including the Catalyst and Nova product lines. Products are sold as complete units with various options and accessories.
- Accessories and Components: Revenue from supplementary products including hearth pads, accessories, blower fans, make-up air kits, and other stove components.
- Smartphone App: The Catalyst app is available for free download from Apple, Android, and Amazon app stores to control smart wood stoves.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Nova Wood Burning Stove - Base Model |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Nova Series Options |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
MF Fire product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MF Fire designs, manufactures, and sells clean-burning wood stoves under the Catalyst (smart wood stove) and Nova (Freestanding, Tower, Bench, Insert) product lines, plus the FireMAPS retrofit smart fire assistant. The stoves incorporate patented swirl combustion, catalytic combustors, secondary combustion, TurboStart ignition, and a smart controller with smartphone app control, and are sold factory-direct and through an authorized dealer network across the U.S. and Canada.
Product overview
MF Fire is a clean-tech company that manufactures innovative wood stove technology, offering two core product lines: the smart Catalyst wood stove and the Nova Series of EPA 2020 compliant catalytic wood stoves. The Catalyst, the company's flagship smart stove, was the world's first smartphone-controlled wood stove, featuring automated combustion management, over-fire prevention, and a learning thermostat function. The Nova Series includes freestanding, tower, bench, and insert variants, all designed for modern living with high efficiency (79%) and ultra-low emissions. FireMAPS is an emerging product designed to reduce emissions from existing (non-MF Fire) wood stoves. The company also offers supporting accessories including hearth pads and stove maintenance products. All products are backed by patented combustion technologies developed by fire scientists.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Catalyst: The world's first smart wood stove featuring automated temperature control, smartphone app integration, over-fire prevention, and ultra-clean combustion. Catalyst was the original product name (previously called Mulciber) and represents the company's flagship technology.
- Nova
- Nova Tower
- Nova Bench
- Nova Insert
- Fire MAPS
Products and services
- Catalyst Smart Wood Burning Stove The flagship smart wood stove featuring smartphone app control, automated combustion management, and proactive over-fire and chimney fire prevention; delivers measured smart efficiency of 90% and ultra-low emissions exceeding EPA 2020 standards, and is sold to homeowners seeking the most automated wood heating experience.
- Nova Freestanding Wood Stove A small, EPA 2020 compliant catalytic wood stove with 79% maximum efficiency, a 1.7 ft³ firebox, 9,000–50,000 BTU/hr output, and heating capacity of 1,500 ft²; designed for compact, modern living with a large glass front and no user adjustments required.
- Nova Tower Wood Stove A modern elevated tower variant of the Nova wood stove offering a beautiful fire view and contemporary aesthetic for modern homes, top and rear vent compatible.
- Nova Bench Wood Stove A Nova variant with a sleek bench design that combines modern aesthetics with practical built-in storage functionality, top and rear vent compatible.
- Nova Wood Burning Stove Insert A fireplace insert version of the Nova wood stove designed to convert existing fireplaces into efficient, EPA 2020 compliant wood heating solutions while maintaining the beauty of the original fireplace.
- FireMAPS Smart Fire Assistant A smart fire assistant designed to retrofit onto existing wood stoves to reduce their emissions and provide intelligent combustion assistance, sold to owners of legacy stoves.
- Hearth Pads Non-combustible flooring pads required beneath wood stoves for safety, sold as accessories on the MF Fire website.
- Wood Stove Accessories Supporting accessories for MF Fire wood stoves including glass cleaners, moisture meters, blower fans, and outside make-up air kits sold to enhance stove operation and maintenance.
- Catalyst Stove Smartphone App A free smartphone application for iOS, Android, and Amazon platforms that lets users remotely monitor and control their Catalyst wood stove, set desired room temperatures, receive real-time alerts for over-fire, open door, and reload reminders, and track burn performance and efficiency data.
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 90% smart efficiency vs 50% for traditional wood stoves
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use MF Fire
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
MF Fire technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature7 records
MF Fire partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- University of MarylandcoreMF Fire originated from the University of Maryland Fire Lab. Founders Taylor Myers (fire science doctoral candidate) and Ryan Fisher (alumnus) developed the technology at the university. The company continues to leverage University of Maryland research and expertise.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
MF Fire competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- HearthStone Quality Home Heating Products: Vermont-based manufacturer of high-efficiency wood, gas, and pellet stoves with a focus on clean combustion and soapstone/firebrick-lined designs. Directly competes with MF Fire in the premium residential wood stove market, particularly with soapstone models emphasizing long burn times and modern aesthetics.
- Travis Industries (Lopi / Fireplace Xtrordinair): One of the largest U.S. wood and gas stove manufacturers, producing the Lopi brand of high-efficiency wood stoves with catalytic and secondary combustion technology. Lopi products directly compete with MF Fire's Nova and Catalyst lines in EPA-compliant wood heating.
- Jøtul: Norwegian heritage brand and one of the world's oldest wood stove manufacturers, with a strong U.S. dealer network selling cast-iron EPA-compliant wood stoves. Competes in the same premium residential wood stove category with comparable efficiency and emissions claims.
- Blaze King: Canadian manufacturer specializing in catalytic wood stoves with long burn times and high efficiency (often 80%+). Directly comparable to MF Fire on combustion technology approach and the EPA 2020 catalytic combustor strategy.
- Regency Fireplace Products: Manufacturer of EPA-certified wood, gas, and pellet stoves and fireplace inserts, distributed through a North American dealer network. Competes with MF Fire's Nova Insert and other freestanding offerings in the EPA 2020-compliant wood stove market.
- Pacific Energy: Canadian wood stove and fireplace manufacturer known for high-efficiency catalytic and non-catalytic stoves, sold through dealers across the U.S. and Canada. Directly overlaps with MF Fire on product type, EPA 2020 compliance focus, and North American distribution model.
- Vermont Castings: Iconic Vermont-based wood stove brand with a long history of catalytic and non-catalytic designs, now owned by HNI Corporation. Competes in the premium cast-iron wood stove category and benefits from parent-company scale advantages versus MF Fire.
- Woodstock Soapstone Company: New Hampshire-based manufacturer of soapstone-lined wood stoves emphasizing high efficiency, long burn times, and classic American craftsmanship. Targets the same premium residential customer with similar efficiency and low-emission claims as MF Fire's Nova and Catalyst lines.
- Enviro (Sherwood Industries): Canadian manufacturer of high-efficiency EPA-certified wood, pellet, and gas stoves, including the popular M55 catalytic insert. Competes with MF Fire in the U.S. EPA 2020 wood stove segment with a strong dealer-focused distribution model.
Broad incumbents
- HNI Corporation (Heat & Glo / Quadra-Fire / Harman): Large publicly traded fireplace and hearth products conglomerate whose brands (Heat & Glo, Quadra-Fire, Harman, Vermont Castings) compete across nearly every category MF Fire addresses. Provides scale, R&D budget, and dealer-network reach that dwarfs MF Fire, but lacks MF Fire's smart-control product narrative.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses1 record
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
MF Fire social profiles
Digital presenceMF Fire compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
MF Fire financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
MF Fire leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
MF Fire funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
MF Fire M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about MF Fire
What does MF Fire do?
MF Fire designs, manufactures, and sells clean-burning wood stoves under the Catalyst (smart wood stove) and Nova (Freestanding, Tower, Bench, Insert) product lines, plus the FireMAPS retrofit smart fire assistant. The stoves incorporate patented swirl combustion, catalytic combustors, secondary combustion, TurboStart ignition, and a smart controller with smartphone app control, and are sold factory-direct and through an authorized dealer network across the U.S. and Canada.
Is MF Fire a public or private company?
MF Fire is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was MF Fire founded?
MF Fire was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is MF Fire based?
MF Fire is headquartered in Baltimore, United States, in the North America region.
How does MF Fire make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Wood Stove Sales are the primary driver. The others are accessories and Components and smartphone App.
Who are MF Fire's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are HearthStone Quality Home Heating Products, Travis Industries (Lopi / Fireplace Xtrordinair), Jøtul, Blaze King, Regency Fireplace Products, Pacific Energy, Vermont Castings, Woodstock Soapstone Company and Enviro (Sherwood Industries). HNI Corporation (Heat & Glo / Quadra-Fire / Harman) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does MF Fire have an API?
No public API is recorded for MF Fire.
What industry is MF Fire in?
MF Fire's product category is Wood Stoves / Residential Home Heating Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAHAKAD, Boilers, Furnaces & Process Heating Equipment, with a secondary code of IMAHAFAF, Industrial Boilers, HRSGs & Steam Generators. Its NAICS code is 333414 and its SIC code is 3433.