Our Profile

Established in 2009 as an Eastern Africa focused private equity fund manager, Catalyst brings together a highly experienced team of seasoned investment professionals with a depth of regional and international credentials and expertise of private equity investing in Africa and across emerging markets. With its depth of experience in investment management, financial advisory, management consulting and strategic planning across a diversity of sectors, Catalyst has substantial capability to proactively provide strategic and operational input to its investee companies.
Catalyst also leverages its extensive global network of credible co-investors, industry experts and management resources to add significant value to its investments, thereby driving superior results and portfolio performance.

Catalyst and its investee companies abide by international standards of integrity, governance, environmental and social responsibility.

Regional Focus

The Eastern Africa market is undergoing an unprecedented period of economic growth, generating attractive high growth investment opportunities driven by strong fundamentals, including:

  • Improving geo-political environment and macro-economic management
  • Strengthening intra-regional trade, increasing regional integration and improving infrastructure linkages
  • Deepening financial system and technological innovation enabling access and penetration for goods and services
  • Rising consumer demand and absorption of informal sectors into the formal economy
  • Increasing investment in education and regional mobility deepening the availability human resource capital

Regional focus on Eastern African is supported by attractive long-term regional trends, and underpinned by compelling economic indicators:

  • GDP of USD136 billion (USD308 billion PPP)
  • 2009-2013 real GDP growth of 6.5%
  • 2014-2018 real GDP growth forecast at 7.2%
  • Population of 350 million (30% of Africa)
  • Land area of 6 million km sq (20% of Africa)

Our Approach

Catalyst specializes in strategic equity investments in growing regional businesses and also actively pursues replacement capital investments that provide partial or full exits for existing shareholders seeking liquidity or considering shifts in their business strategies.

Catalyst identifies high growth emerging and mid-sized companies with experienced managers and within identified key sectors that demonstrate:

  • High growth and profitability prospects
  • Compelling expansion, acquisition and regionalisation opportunities
  • Strong cash flow characteristics or potential
  • Financial restructuring or recapitalisation requirements

Catalyst actively manages its portfolio to build value and generate superior returns over the investment horizon by:

  • Designing investment structures and incentives that align dynamic management teams with investors’ objectives
  • Driving performance and proactive portfolio management
  • Strengthening management and operational capabilities
  • Leveraging its regional and international network of industry experts and specialist resources
  • Enhancing the governance environment

Our Value Proposition

We bring to our investees value beyond capital by delivering world class skills, experience and networks alongside performance improvement strategies and capabilities, and bring on board best practice in social, environmental, health/safety and governance standards.