As a venture capital fund and accelerator, we partner with visionary founders who are developing high-impact climate adaptation solutions to enhance the resilience of communities and the planet. Our investments span critical sectors including climate-smart agritech and food systems, climate insurance, land restoration, cold chain, waste management, clean energy, and water management.

What sets us apart is our active, hands-on venture-building approach at the pre-seed stage. Drawing from our extensive experience as founders and operators in emerging markets, we support startups with their tech, product, data, and marketing challenges, propelling them towards product-market fit and rapid growth.

Catalyst Fund began its journey in 2015 as a global accelerator managed by BFA Global, targeting early-stage inclusive fintech startups dedicated to improving the financial health of underserved communities across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Our inaugural fund, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and JPMorgan Chase & Co., and fiscally sponsored by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, successfully backed 20 startups across 15 emerging markets.

In 2019, we scaled our accelerator with support from the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), PayPal, and Mastercard Foundation, expanding our reach to 36 additional inclusive tech startups in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, India, and Mexico.

The Catalyst Fund accelerator addressed critical gaps in emerging market innovation ecosystems, such as insufficient capital for early-stage product testing and iteration, a lack of necessary skills for building viable solutions for underserved customers, and limited connections between local founders and global investors and corporate partners. Our approach combined catalytic grant capital, bespoke venture-building support from seasoned operators and market experts, and access to a global network of investors and corporates, while also sharing valuable insights with the broader inclusive tech ecosystem.

Between 2015 and 2022, Catalyst Fund supported 61 companies across 15 emerging markets, constantly refining our model to guide startups to product-market fit and scale. Our portfolio companies have collectively raised over US$800 million in follow-on funding, with one unicorn, five successful exits, and a reach extending to over 14 million individuals and MSMEs globally.