Catalyst Fund

Women are on the frontlines of #climatechange, driving adaptation, innovation, and resilience in their communities. Yet, they remain underrepresented in designing and financing the solutions that shape our collective future. Next week, Tuesday, Catalyst Fund will host a webinar, “𝑰𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓–𝑪𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝑵𝒆𝒙𝒖𝒔: 𝑰𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑨𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂,” to explore how inclusive, gender-smart innovation can unlock markets, strengthen resilience, and deliver sustainable impact across the continent. We’ll hear from founders who are creating solutions that build resilience and economic opportunity for women, and from investors who are supporting these models to scale impact and unlock new markets. 📅 Nov 11 🕒 3:00 PM EAT 👉 Register now to join us: https://lnkd.in/dRZJydJv BFA Global, FSD Africa, UNIDO Climate Tech Innovation, KawiSafi Ventures, Altree Capital, MCE Social Capital, Agro Supply, MazaoHub, Medikea, Keep IT Cool | Earthshot Prize Winner 24, Bekia inc, Farm to Feed, Maelis Carraro, Eleonora G.., Juliet Munro, Maureen K., Phoebe K., Wanjiku Ngunjiri (Ph.D)

We had an excellent start to the #FSDAfricaESFConference yesterday! 🚀 Day 1 was filled with powerful conversations on how early-stage capital is driving inclusive and sustainable growth across Africa. The sessions highlighted fundraising resilience, venture showcases in climate, energy, and inclusion, and the growing momentum for catalytic finance. Excited to continue the discussions today on value creation and impact. Stay tuned for more updates from the Conference! FSD Africa Maelis Carraro, Maxime Bayen, Rasima Swarup, Sydney Thiam, Javier Linares, Ngetha Mwangi, Valiullah Hashmi, Maureen K., Charles I. Nweke, Olúwatóyìn Emmanuel-Olubake, Yemi A.

🚀 Big news! Our portfolio company Farm to Feed has raised $1.5M in seed funding to scale its tech-enabled marketplace that turns Kenya's food loss challenge into an opportunity for farmers, businesses, and the planet. We were proud to be the first institutional investor back in January 2023, and we’ve continued to support Farm to Feed’s growth both by re-investing in this round and by facilitating connections with several of the participating investors. The company connects smallholder farmers with reliable B2B buyers for surplus and imperfect produce, creating a more resilient, low-waste food system that boosts farmer incomes and cuts emissions. 💬 “𝑭𝒂𝒓𝒎 𝒕𝒐 𝑭𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑨𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂'𝒔 𝒃𝒊𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔… 𝒘𝒆’𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝑪𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒂 𝒃𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒂 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆, 𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒉-𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔, 𝒄𝒖𝒕𝒔 𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒔𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒎 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆,” 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 Maelis Carraro, 𝑭𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒓, Catalyst Fund. The round was led by Delta40 Venture Studio, with participation from DRK Foundation, Catalyst Fund, Holocene, Marula Square, 54Co, Levare Ventures, and Mercy Corps Ventures. We're proud to back Claire van Enk and the Farm to Feed team as they continue to show that climate innovation and inclusive growth can go hand in hand. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dNCxvuaE Learn why we invested: https://lnkd.in/dHZxXGgt Maelis Carraro, Maxime Bayen, Rasima Swarup, Sydney Thiam, Javier Linares, Ngetha Mwangi, Valiullah Hashmi, Maureen K., Charles I. Nweke, Olúwatóyìn Emmanuel-Olubake, Yemi A.

📢 Join our upcoming webinar! How can gender-smart climate innovation unlock new markets, drive resilience, and deliver impact across Africa? On 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 11, 𝐚𝐭 3:00 𝐏𝐌 𝐄𝐀𝐓, we're hosting a webinar to explore how inclusive innovation at the intersection of gender and climate is transforming opportunities across the continent. Drawing on insights from our newly launched Gender Brief, developed in partnership with UNIDO, FSD Africa, BFA Global, and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), this session will spotlight how African startups and investors are advancing gender-smart climate innovation to strengthen resilience, unlock markets, and deliver sustainable impact. We’ll unpack: ✅ The barriers women face in climate innovation ✅ The commercial and social opportunities created by gender inclusion ✅ Practical steps investors and ecosystem actors can take to accelerate impact Register here: https://lnkd.in/dRZJydJv #GenderLensInvesting #ClimateInnovation #InclusiveInnovation #GenderEquality #ClimateAction UNIDO Climate Tech Innovation, KawiSafi Ventures, Altree Capital, MCE Social Capital, Agro Supply, MazaoHub, Medikea, Keep IT Cool | Earthshot Prize Winner 24, Bekia inc, Farm to Feed, Maelis Carraro, Eleonora G., Juliet Munro, Maureen K., Phoebe K., Wanjiku Ngunjiri (Ph.D)

Across Africa, less than 20% of climate-focused startups have at least one woman on their founding team. This matters. Diverse teams drive stronger innovation, reach wider markets, and build more resilient solutions, yet women continue to face systemic barriers to participation. To accelerate climate solutions, we must fund and support more women-led ventures. Learn  more in our new Gender Brief: Innovating and Investing at the Gender–Climate Nexus in Africa: https://lnkd.in/dAMJCgFh FSD Africa, UNIDO Climate Tech Innovation, UNIDO, BFA Global, Global Environment Facility, KawiSafi Ventures, Altree Capital, MCE Social Capital, Agro Supply, MazaoHub, Medikea, Keep IT Cool | Earthshot Prize Winner 24, Bekia inc, Farm to Feed, Maelis Carraro, Eleonora G.., Juliet Munro, Maureen K., Phoebe K., Wanjiku Ngunjiri (Ph.D) 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒂 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝑩𝑭𝑨 𝑮𝒍𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒍, 𝑪𝒂𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒚𝒔𝒕 𝑭𝒖𝒏𝒅, 𝑭𝑺𝑫 𝑨𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂, 𝑼𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑫𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑶𝒓𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒛𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 (𝑼𝑵𝑰𝑫𝑶) 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒍𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒍 𝑬𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑭𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 (𝑮𝑬𝑭).

Who’s actually buying African carbon credits, and what do they care about? Corporates, brokers, marketplaces, and aggregators are shaping the demand side of the voluntary carbon market (VCM), but their priorities vary widely. Some buyers chase the lowest price per tonne, while others pay more for strong co-benefits, robust data, or credits linked to measurable SDG outcomes. Module 3 of our Carbon Markets series breaks down these diverse buyer archetypes, from price-sensitive bulk purchasers to impact-driven partners, detailing their quality expectations, price-volume trade-offs, and how to position your credits effectively. Pair it with our interactive Buyers Dashboard, which maps over 4,000 organizations to help African founders target outreach and craft offers that match real demand. Read Module 3: https://lnkd.in/guWT4TR6 Explore the Dashboard: https://lnkd.in/dx2pk9q8 FSD Africa, BFA Global, Elijah Isabu, Charles I. Nweke, Reshma Shah, Mary Kashangaki, Maelis Carraro, Maxime Bayen, Rasima Swarup, Sydney Thiam, Javier Linares, Ngetha Mwangi, Valiullah Hashmi, Maureen K., Olúwatóyìn Emmanuel-Olubake, Grace Akinyi, Yemi A.

We're glad to have participated in the Carbon Markets Africa Summit (CMAS) in Johannesburg, where our Venture Building Engagement Lead Charles I. Nweke joined a workshop on “Building Investment-Ready Carbon Projects” sponsored by TASC. The conversations made one thing clear: 𝑨𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂 𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒃𝒐𝒏 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒕𝒔. Key takeaways: ✅ 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬. While nature-based projects remain important, Africa's potential extends much further — across clean cooking, energy access, waste and circularity, regenerative agriculture, transport, and industrial efficiency. These are scalable, investable climate solutions. ✅ 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬. Markets are shaped by those who move first, not those who wait for perfect clarity on rules and registries. Iteration and learning by doing will drive faster progress. ✅ 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. Transparency remains a challenge. That's why Catalyst Fund and FSD Africa created the Africa Carbon Buyers Dashboard, mapping over 4,000 organizations purchasing African carbon credits to strengthen insights and partnerships. Explore it here: https://lnkd.in/dx2pk9q8 ✅ 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐬. Innovators like our portfolio company Earthbond are already using certified credits to expand clean energy access for businesses. Africa's carbon opportunity is growing. If you're working on this as a startup, buyer, project developer, policymaker, or funder, we'd love to connect. Maelis Carraro, Maxime Bayen, Rasima Swarup, Sydney Thiam, Javier Linares, Ngetha Mwangi, Valiullah Hashmi, Maureen K., Charles I. Nweke, Olúwatóyìn Emmanuel-Olubake, Yemi A.

What will it take to unlock the next wave of equity investment in Africa's energy and mobility sectors? Tomorrow at 10:15 am WAT, our Chief Investment Officer, Olúwatóyìn Emmanuel-Olubake (Toyin), will join leading investors at the Delta40 Venture Studio in Lagos for a panel discussion on 𝑬𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝑰𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑶𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝑬𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒈𝒚 & 𝑴𝒐𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚. The conversation will explore what makes ventures truly equity-ready, from business models and risk mitigation to climate alignment and regional scaling, and how catalytic and commercial capital can power Africa's sustainable growth. If you'll be attending, be sure to connect with Toyin to learn more about Catalyst Fund's work driving climate innovation and early-stage investment across Africa. #CatalystFund #EnergyTransition #MobilityInnovation #VentureCapital #AfricaInvestment #ClimateTech #ImpactInvesting Maelis Carraro, Maxime Bayen, Rasima Swarup, Sydney Thiam, Javier Linares, Ngetha Mwangi, Valiullah Hashmi, Maureen K., Charles I. Nweke, Olúwatóyìn Emmanuel-Olubake, Yemi A.

Women are contributing across climate value chains, from design to distribution. Our study found that women are active as founders, employees, distributors, and customers in sectors like agriculture, clean energy, health, and waste. Their involvement strengthens trust, improves product adoption, and expands the reach of climate solutions. This Gender Brief outlines how funders, accelerators, and policymakers can build on these existing roles to accelerate innovation and impact. Download the brief to see the full findings: https://lnkd.in/dAMJCgFh 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒂 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝑩𝑭𝑨 𝑮𝒍𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒍, 𝑪𝒂𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒚𝒔𝒕 𝑭𝒖𝒏𝒅, 𝑭𝑺𝑫 𝑨𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂, 𝑼𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑫𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑶𝒓𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒛𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 (𝑼𝑵𝑰𝑫𝑶) 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒍𝒐𝒃𝒂𝒍 𝑬𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑭𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 (𝑮𝑬𝑭). FSD Africa, UNIDO Climate Tech Innovation, UNIDO, BFA Global, Global Environment Facility, KawiSafi Ventures, Altree Capital, MCE Social Capital, Agro Supply, MazaoHub, Medikea, Keep IT Cool | Earthshot Prize Winner 24, Bekia inc, Farm to Feed, Maelis Carraro, Eleonora G., Juliet Munro, Maureen K., Phoebe K., Wanjiku Ngunjiri (Ph.D)