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 & resilience

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

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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

Backers

Known LPs

IFC (International Finance Corporation)Public / State institution

FSD Africa Investments (FSDAi)Public / State institution

Cisco FoundationFoundation / Endowment

+4 more LPs in LP Radar

N°04 / See also

Related Funds

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Location: Kenya
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Focus: Ai Ml, Climate Sustainability, Mobility Transport, Saas
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Algebris Climatech

Fund size€60M

Location: Italy
Stage: Pre Seed
Focus: Saas, Climate Sustainability, Ai Ml, Deep Tech
Manager: Marco Turchini, Alessandro Santo

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Saas

Climate Sustainability

Ai Ml

Deep Tech

Partech Impact Fund

Fund size€300M

Location: France
Stage: Growth
Focus: Agritech, Climate Sustainability, Digital Health, Mobility Transport
Manager: Rémi Said

Growth

Agritech

Climate Sustainability

Digital Health

Mobility Transport