Catalyst Fund
Investing in a climate-resilient future for Africa
The Trafigura Foundation is backing an initiative helping African entrepreneurs turn innovative ideas into climate-resilient solutions in sectors from clean mobility and cold chain systems to carbon removal and climate-smart agriculture.
The challenge
The flow of international public finance to enable developing countries to adapt to the changing climate falls far short of what is needed. The United Nations estimates this adaptation finance gap at USD 284–339 billion a year.
The private sector can help to narrow the gap. Yet founders face hurdles in turning promising ideas into solid sustainable businesses, such as insufficient access to capital, and a lack of skills and experience, especially in emerging markets.
The solution
As a venture capital fund and venture builder, the Catalyst Fund partners with African entrepreneurs who are developing high-impact, tech-enabled solutions that help communities to manage climate risks, adapt their livelihoods, and build long-term resilience.
Drawing on an extensive track record as founders and operators, the Catalyst Fund supports early-stage businesses with tech, product, data, and marketing challenges so they can grow their businesses and measure their positive environmental and social impacts.
Partnership impact
In 2024 alone, 22 African businesses supported by Catalyst Fund:
- Improved climate resilience for more than 450,000 people
- Avoided more than 4,600 tonnes of carbon emissions
- Created 875 green jobs
- Reached more than 77,000 farmers with precision agriculture solutions
- Collected at least 12,800 tonnes of waste
Visit Catalyst Fund’s website.
Other partnerships in the same area of work
Accelerating the growth and impact of community-led conservation in Africa
Responding rapidly and effectively to humanitarian crises
