Catalyst Fund

Exciting discussions at the Africa Tech Summit Our very own Maxime Bayen joined industry leaders to unpack the latest trends in Africa's VC market. With early signals of a startup ecosystem rebound and the growing momentum in climate tech, it's an exciting time for innovation on the continent! 🚀

Yesterday, Catalyst Fund, Equator VC and Proparco, hosted The Africa Climate Tech Breakfast—an exclusive gathering of Africa's leading climate innovators, investors and ecosystem players. Over coffee and conversation, we exchanged ideas, forged new partnerships, reconnected with old friends, and reinforced our commitment to back bold entrepreneurs in Africa. A huge thank you to the founders, VCs, funders, DFIs, and ecosystem builders who joined us— amazing turnout and the energy in the room was truly inspiring! Also, if you're attending the Africa Tech Summit today and tomorrow, the Catalyst Fund team will be there! Let's connect and continue the conversation on climate innovation—we're excited to build even more impactful collaborations! Maelis Carraro, Maxime Bayen, Rasima Swarup, Sydney Thiam, Javier Linares, Ngetha Mwangi, Valiullah Hashmi, Maureen K., Charles I. Nweke

Huge congratulations to our portfolio companies, MazaoHub and Keep IT Cool | Earthshot Prize Winner 24, for being shortlisted for the Africa Tech Summit Awards 2025! 🎉 MazaoHub (Tanzania) and Keep It Cool (Kenya) are both finalists in the Agritech Award category, recognized for their innovative solutions that are transforming agriculture in Africa: 🌱 MazaoHub is empowering smallholder farmers with data-driven tools to boost productivity and market access. ❄️ Keep It Cool is tackling post-harvest loss with its innovative cold storage solutions, enhancing food security and sustainability. We’re proud to support these visionary companies as they drive sustainable change in Africa's agricultural landscape! Winners will be announced at Africa Tech Summit Nairobi on February 13th. Stay tuned for updates! Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/dJcFUSWa Maelis Carraro, Maxime Bayen, Rasima Swarup, Sydney Thiam, Javier Linares, Ngetha Mwangi, Valiullah Hashmi, Maureen K., Charles I. Nweke Geophrey Tenganamba Francis N. Abigail Gachigi

🎉 Congratulations to our portfolio companies, Earthbond and NoorNation, for being featured in the Power List: 30 African Startups Defining 2025! 🚀 Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dY3iV8xv 💧NoorNation is transforming access to clean energy and safe water through its innovative LifeBox, a mobile, solar-powered unit designed for underserved communities across Egypt and Sub-Saharan Africa. ⚡Earthbond is addressing Africa's energy challenges by providing affordable solar solutions for SMEs, helping businesses reduce reliance on costly, polluting fossil fuel generators. Both startups are driving sustainable impact in their communities for rural and urban small businesses. We're proud to back these bold innovators! Learn more about their journey and why we invested (links in comments) Maelis Carraro, Maxime Bayen, Rasima Swarup, Sydney Thiam, Javier Linares, Ngetha Mwangi, Valiullah Hashmi, Maureen K., Charles I. Nweke, Chidalu Onyenso, Ragy Ramadan, REP®,

🚀 Our Team is Growing! 🚀 We’re beyond thrilled to announce that Olúwatóyìn Emmanuel-Olubake (Toyin) has joined the Catalyst Fund team as our new Chief Investment Officer! 🎉 Toyin brings over 17 years of experience in investment banking, venture capital, and impact investing, having worked with leading organizations across Africa. Most recently, he was with Novastar Ventures, one of the continent’s most experienced VC fund managers. Prior to that, he led investments at Acumen West Africa and played a key role in building the investment team at Sahel Capital . Throughout his career, Toyin has supported and led transactions worth over $3B and deployed more than $13M in early-stage and growth equity investments. To get to know Toyin better, we asked him a few questions: ✅ What experience do you bring to the Fund? "I bring insights from advising and investing in companies at various stages, from inception to growth. My experience spans investment banking, venture capital, and impact investing, where I’ve helped businesses scale and create long-term value. I look forward to leveraging this to invest in and support game changing climate tech startups across Africa with the Catalyst Fund team.” 💸 ✅ What can colleagues trust you for?“I have a strong focus on local markets and customers. I believe in understanding the dynamics of local markets and working closely with entrepreneurs to build tailored strategies that drive success. We need to build local businesses with local and global impact.” 🌍 ✅ What do you like to do in your free time? “I love to pull pranks on my kids, build church communities, listen to music, and watch football!” ⚽🎶 Toyin’s deep market expertise, strategic investment approach, ability to navigate complex deals, and commitment to unlocking opportunities for entrepreneurs will be invaluable to our team. We’re excited to have him on board and look forward to the impact he’ll make! Please join us in giving Toyin a warm welcome! 🙌 Maelis Carraro, Maxime Bayen, Rasima Swarup, Sydney Thiam, Javier Linares, Ngetha Mwangi, Valiullah Hashmi, Maureen K., Charles I. Nweke

In 2024, African startups saw fewer deals exceeding $100K, with only 520 startups securing funding, down from 850 in 2021—Africa: The Big Deal. Despite this dip, Catalyst Fund remained a top investor, continuing to support startups shaping Africa's entrepreneurial landscape. We're proud to be among the top investors in 2023 and 2024 alongside 54 Collective, Techstars, and Launch Africa Ventures. While the funding landscape has evolved, we remain committed to empowering innovative entrepreneurs with the resources they need to grow. The future is still bright for African startups, with $2.2 billion raised in 2024 across equity, grants, and debt, fueled in part by major deals like Moniepoint and Tyme Group. Dive deeper into the data and trends: https://lnkd.in/dZJTj_Kc Maelis Carraro, Maxime Bayen, Rasima Swarup, Sydney Thiam, Javier Linares, Ngetha Mwangi, Valiullah Hashmi, Maureen K., Charles I. Nweke

Which AgTech solutions are investors betting on? 🌍 Our Managing Partner, Maelis Carraro, recently caught up with FoodHack to share the AgTech solutions we're most excited about at Catalyst Fund. Here are four game-changing solutions we see shaping the future of agriculture in Africa: 🔹 Tech-enabled Regenerative Land Restoration (e.g, Sand to Green) 🔹 AI-Powered Farm Optimization and Precision Agriculture (e.g. MazaoHub) 🔹 Alternative Proteins from Waste Streams (e.g. BioBuu) 🔹 Cold Chain and Distribution solutions to reduce waste (e.g. Keep IT Cool | Earthshot Prize Winner 24) Across the industry, investors are also betting big on: 🌾 Sustainable Nitrogen 🧪 Biological Alternatives 🚜 Decarbonizing Farm Machines 🧑🌾 Decentralized On-Farm Solutions 📈 Enabling Affordable Bio-Scale-Up ☀️ Climate-Resilient Non-GMO Crops 🧬 Genomics for Climate-Resilient Crops 💦 Precision Spraying for Crop Protection 💸 New Financial Solutions for Agriculture 🪨 Biochar and Soil Carbon Sequestration Curious about the future of AgTech? 18 investors share what's top of mind for the next wave of innovation. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dpbxJKjJ Thanks to Laura Hodgkiss and HackGroup for compiling these insights! 🚀 Maelis Carraro, Maxime Bayen, Rasima Swarup, Sydney Thiam, Javier Linares, Ngetha Mwangi, Valiullah Hashmi, Maureen K., Charles I. Nweke, Satgana, Antom.la, Mudcake, Capagro, FoodLabs, Clima Now, World Fund, Ordway Selections, Mandi Ventures, Better Bite Ventures, Clear Current Capital, Grey Silo Ventures, SHIFT Ventures, Solvable Syndicate, Rubio Impact Ventures, Climate Innovation Capital, ICL PLANET Startup Hub

🏃➡️ En 2024, chaque kilomètre parcouru a compté Lancer une entreprise, c’est compliqué. Faire décoller 🚀 un business qui remet en cause un marché établi, c’est encore plus complexe. Mais bâtir un modèle de croissance durable 🌍 où la technologie résout un vrai problème — permettre à tous d’aller travailler facilement — tout en réduisant l’empreinte carbone à l'échelle d'une ville, c’est la meilleure source de motivation face aux difficultés. ⚠️ Oui, les employeurs prennent du temps pour adopter de nouveaux usages. ⚖️ Oui, le cadre d’innovation et la réglementation ne nous facilitent pas (encore) la tâche. 💰 Oui, la rentabilité dans le transport ne se fait pas du jour au lendemain. Mais… 💪 Voir une équipe aussi motivée, prête à faire décoller ENAKL. 📈 Avoir une croissance de 15% mois après mois. 🙏 Recevoir chaque jour des remerciements de nos usagers. 🤝 Pouvoir compter sur des investisseurs engagés dès le début du chemin. Ce sont des moteurs pour continuer et faire en sorte que chacun à #Casablanca puisse bénéficier d’une solution de mobilité durable. 🌟 Je suis fier de ce que nous avons réalisé en 2024 avec l'équipe ENAKL : 👥 1 500 usagers réguliers 📅 120 000 réservations de trajets 🚍 2 millions de kilomètres parcourus ⭐ 93 % de taux de satisfaction 🌱 290 500 kg de CO₂ économisés (l’équivalent de retirer 200 voitures de la circulation sur l’année) Merci à tous ceux qui soutiennent cette vision : l'équipe, les premiers utilisateurs et les partenaires convaincus par notre projet. 🎯 Nous avons parcouru un bout de chemin, mais ce n’est qu’un début ! Restez à l’écoute en 2025, car nous continuons à promouvoir des solutions de mobilité toujours plus vertes 🌍, plus efficaces ⚡, et plus accessibles 🤝 pour tous. ------------- 🌍 For our English-speaking audience: 🏃➡️ In 2024, every kilometer made a difference. 🚀 Launching a business is tough. Challenging an established market is even tougher. 🌍 But building a growth model where technology solves a real problem—making daily commutes easier for everyone—while reducing the carbon footprint at a city-wide scale, is what keeps us moving forward despite the challenges. ⚠️ Yes, employers take time to change their habits. ⚖️ Yes, innovation and regulations don’t always make it easy. 💰 Yes, transport profitability doesn’t happen overnight. But… 💪 Having a dedicated team, ready to take ENAKL to the next level. 📈 Achieving 15% growth per month. 🙏 Receiving daily appreciation from our users. 🤝 Earning the trust of committed investors from day one. That’s already a great success. Samir Bennani Ahmed Omrane Samba SAMB Maxime Bayen Sydney Thiam Catalyst Fund Digital Africa Renew Capital

Congratulations to the MazaoHub team for securing funding from the Livelihood Impact Fund to scale their innovative precision agriculture solutions! 🎉 Since 2021, MazaoHub has been empowering rural farmers in Tanzania with solar-powered soil sensors, practical recommendations, and in-person guidance to boost productivity, reduce fertilizer use, and promote sustainability. This milestone will help reach even more farmers, strengthen food security, and improve livelihoods across underserved regions. Excited to see MazaoHub continue to lead the way in redefining agriculture for smallholder farmers in Africa! Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/dDa4VDqH Maelis Carraro, Maxime Bayen, Rasima Swarup, Sydney Thiam, Javier Linares, Ngetha Mwangi, Valiullah Hashmi, Maureen K., Charles I. Nweke Josephat Adelard Geophrey Tenganamba

We're still on the lookout! 🧐 Are you building a startup in Africa in any of these areas?👇 💧 WaterTech and Water Intelligence Solutions 🌿 Financing Solutions for Regenerative Agriculture 🌳 Precision Reforestation ♻ Alternative Materials (especially alternatives to plastic) 🌊 Coastal Resilience Technologies We're looking to invest in and accelerate pre-seed startups working on these solutions. If you know any, have them reach out to us today! https://lnkd.in/dMjUv4ga Maelis Carraro, Maxime Bayen, Rasima Swarup, Sydney Thiam, Javier Linares, Ngetha Mwangi, Valiullah Hashmi, Maureen K., Charles I. Nweke