Fund profile / Kenya

Catalyst Fund

Geography: Kenya
Stage: Pre-Seed
Fund size: $30M
Focus: AgTech, Climate & Sustainability and FinTech
Signals: Published

N°01 / About

About Catalyst Fund

Pan-African pre-seed investor and venture builder focused on climate adaptation and resilience. $30M second close toward $40M target. Backed 28 startups across 10 African markets with $200K checks. LPs include IFC, Shell Foundation, Speedinvest.

N°02 / Thesis

Investment Focus

Location / RegionKenya

Funding StagePre-Seed

Industry Focus

AgTech

Climate & Sustainability

FinTech

Investor Signals Profile

active

Sweet Spot

African founder, climate-tech, commercial model, coachable

climate adaptation

fintech for climate resilience

climate-smart essential services

sustainable livelihoods

Africa pre-seed

Bullish Signals

$800M+ raised by 61 portfolio companieswebsite

86% survival rate or acquiredwebsite

14M+ underserved customers reachedwebsite

$86 follow-on for every $1 investedwebsite

400+ mentor hours per founder, ex-operator teamwebsite

IFC, Shell Foundation, Speedinvest LPsblog

Founder testimonials: best venture building in Africawebsite

Tailored, hands-on support across 8 key areaswebsite

Top-tier investor across Africa climatetech ecosystemfounder testimonial

Deepening bet on Africa climate resilience leadershippress release

Contrarian Signals

$200K checks, tiny ownership stakewebsite

African exit markets remain illiquidblog

Founder Do's

Build climate adaptation tech in Africa

Target climate-vulnerable communities & MSMEs

Have commercial revenue model not grants

Accept $200K pre-seed with 400+ mentor hours

Leverage 250+ investor network + Circle of Investors

Founder Don'ts

Pitch grant-dependent models

Expect capital beyond pre-seed without traction

Build outside African markets

25 signals on Catalyst Fund

10 bullish · 2 contrarian · 5 pitch do's · 3 don'ts · 5 GP profiles, each with its source. From €9/month, cancel anytime.

See a signal free View Plans Browse all Signal Profiles →

Facts

Fund Overview

Fund Size$30M

Saves0

Website

People

Key People

Maelis Carraro, Maxime Bayen, Toyin Emmanuel-Olubake, Amolo Ng'weno

Maelis CarraroManaging Partner

Maxime BayenGeneral Partner

Toyin Emmanuel-OlubakeGeneral Partner & CIO

Amolo Ng'wenoGeneral Partner

MikeVenture Builder Coach

N°04 / See also

Related Funds

Equator Fund I

Fund size$55M

Location: Kenya
Stage: Seed
Focus: Ai Ml, Climate Sustainability, Mobility Transport, Saas
Manager: Nijhad Jamal

Seed

Ai Ml

Climate Sustainability

Mobility Transport

Saas

Maia Ventures AgriFoodTech Fund I

Fund size€55M

Location: Italy
Stage: Seed
Focus: Climate Sustainability, Food Tech, Agritech
Manager: Edoardo Maino

Seed

Climate Sustainability

Food Tech

Agritech

Ondo Catalyst Fund

Fund size$250M

Location: United States
Stage: Seed
Focus: Web3 Finance, Web3 Infrastructure, Fintech
Manager: Nathan Allman, Justin Schmidt

Seed

Web3 Finance

Web3 Infrastructure

Fintech