Catalyst Fund Secures USD 30 M Second Close For Africa Climate Tech Startup Fund

Catalyst Fund, a pan-African climate-focused venture capital fund and venture builder, has reached a USD 30 M second close for its Catalyst Climate Resilience Fund I, moving closer to its final target.

The fund, led by Maelis Carraro, Maxime Bayen, Olúwatóyìn Emmanuel-Olubake, and Amolo Ng’weno, invests in pre-seed to Series A startups building climate resilience solutions across Africa.

Founded in 2016 and based in Nairobi, Kenya, Catalyst Fund combines equity financing with hands-on venture-building support and plans to back 40 startups

New investors include IFC, FASA, Shell Foundation, Trafigura Foundation, Speedinvest, Blink Impact, We-Fi, and high-net-worth individuals, joining existing backers such as FSD Africa and Cisco Foundation. The fund has already invested in 28 startups across 10 African markets spanning climate fintech, agriculture, food systems, energy, water, and mobility.