Catalyst Impact Lab · Pan-African Innovation

Whereideastake root.

Redesigning how development solutions are built, tested and scaled across Africa.

Pan Africa Clean Energy Food Systems Agriculture Healthcare
Programme · Open Applications
Venture Support & Incubation
Structured support for early-stage African founders — from idea validation through to investor-ready ventures. Includes Ignite! and Catalyst Commons.
Programme · Partnerships
CSR Partnerships
Co-designed corporate social responsibility programmes that connect businesses with high-impact community-led innovation across Africa.
Programme · Policy & Systems
Development Initiatives
Working with governments, DFIs, and foundations to design, test and scale systemic solutions to Africa's most pressing development challenges.
50+
Founders per
Ignite! cohort
150+
Registrants per
Commons session
12
Workshops across
6 sectors · 2026
3
Countries: Nigeria,
Kenya, South Africa
What We Do

Our Programmes

Three interconnected programmes designed to redesign how development solutions are built, tested and scaled across Africa.

Venture Support
& Incubation

Structured support for early-stage African founders — from validated idea through to commercially viable, investor-ready venture. Delivered through the Ignite! sprint and Catalyst Commons community learning series.

9-week Ignite! idea validation sprint
Catalyst Commons monthly learning series
Accountability pods, coaching and peer learning
Pipeline into Catalyst Studio and CatalystInvest
Apply to Ignite! →
CSR
Partnerships

Co-designed corporate social responsibility programmes that connect businesses with high-impact, community-led innovation across Africa — moving beyond cheque-writing to genuine, evidence-based partnership.

Bespoke co-design of CSR strategy & programmes
Sponsored cohorts and named Commons sessions
Impact reporting aligned to People · Planet · Profit
Brand visibility across 150–2,000+ community members
Explore CSR partnership →
Development
Initiatives

Working alongside governments, DFIs, and foundations to design, rigorously test, and scale systemic solutions to Africa's most pressing development challenges — with evidence at the centre.

Policy design and systems change advisory
Co-design with DFIs, foundations, and government agencies
Rigorous MEL using the Catalyst Impact Lab framework
Research outputs, learning briefs, and evidence products
Explore development initiatives →
Programme · Open Applications

Ignite! Idea Validation Sprint

A free, 9-week programme for early-stage African founders building solutions that improve affordability and access to essential services.

Ignite! is a free, structured programme that takes early-stage African founders from idea to investor-ready concept. Through four progressive phases over 9 weeks, founders build the evidence, skills, and network needed to launch solutions that improve affordability and access across Africa.

Validated problem
A precisely defined, evidence-backed problem statement grounded in real user research from African markets.
Tested prototype
A working prototype — built using no-code tools — tested with real users and refined based on traction signals.
Investor-ready pitch
A compelling 5-minute pitch deck and one-pager, presented to a live panel of investors at the final showcase.
Ecosystem access
Top graduates gain preferential access to Catalyst Studio co-development and the CatalystInvest investor network.
Who
Early-stage African founders, pre-revenue to early traction
Sectors
Clean energy · Food · Agriculture · Health · Fintech · Education · Urban infrastructure
Where
Virtual — open to founders across Africa
Cost
Free. Fully grant-funded. No equity taken.
Cohort 1
Call for Applications
Ignite!
Sprint
9-week idea validation programme · 2026
Format
Virtual · Live sessions + async
Duration
9 weeks
Cohort size
30–50 founders
Sectors
Energy · Food · Agriculture · Health · Fintech · Education · Urban
Cost
Free
No equity taken
Applications open — rolling admissions. Apply early for best consideration.
Apply to Ignite! →

Fully grant-funded · Free to participate · No equity taken

Top graduates gain preferential access to Catalyst Studio co-development and the CatalystInvest investor network.
Apply Now →
Community · Monthly Workshops · Free

Catalyst Commons

A free monthly learning series for African founders, practitioners, and investors — interrogating the hardest problems in essential-service markets and building the connections that move solutions forward.

Learn
Deepen your understanding of a specific sector through practitioner-led insights you won't find in reports or pitch decks.
Connect
Build real relationships with founders, investors, and ecosystem actors working on the same problems across Africa.
Progress
30% of regular Commons attendees apply to the next Ignite! cohort. Every session strengthens your application.
2026 Workshop Calendar
8 sessions · May–December 2026 · Free
May 2026 · #1Clean Energy
"Why most clean energy ventures fail at scale — and what the survivors did differently"
Keynote + Q&A · 60 min · Virtual
Jun 2026 · #2Food SystemsUpcoming
"Feeding the city: food systems that work for farmers and urban consumers"
Panel + Peer Exchange · 60 min · Virtual
Jul 2026 · #3HealthcareUpcoming
"Health equity as a market opportunity: designing for the patient who can't pay"
Keynote + Q&A · 60 min · Virtual
Aug 2026 · #4FintechUpcoming
"Beyond mobile money: building financial infrastructure for the informal economy"
Panel + Peer Exchange · 60 min · Virtual
Sep 2026 · #5EducationUpcoming
"Skills that stick: education ventures creating economic mobility, not just certificates"
Keynote + Q&A · 60 min · Virtual
Oct 2026 · #6Urban InfrastructureUpcoming
"The $300B housing gap: building for Africa's urbanising majority"
Panel + Peer Exchange · 60 min · Virtual
Nov 2026 · #7Climate CapitalUpcoming
"Climate capital: attracting funding for ventures that protect the planet and generate returns"
Investor Spotlight · 60 min · Virtual
Dec 2026 · #8Cross-SectorUpcoming
"Year in review: what the data says about impact ventures that survived 2026"
Community Summit · 90 min · Virtual
Register for Catalyst Commons 2026
One registration covers all 8 sessions · Free · Recordings shared with all members
Register on Luma →
Impact Framework

Measuring What Matters

Every programme produces evidence at three levels — for the people we serve, the planet we operate on, and the markets we are trying to shift.

P
People
Inclusive Access & Participation
We create solutions that meaningfully improve lives and enable communities to thrive — measuring reductions in cost of essentials and first-time access gains.
P
Planet
Environmental Sustainability
We ensure every model protects the environment and uses resources responsibly — tracking emissions reductions, regenerative practices, and cost parity of sustainable alternatives.
P
Profit
Financial Viability & Market Sustainability
We build financially resilient models that can sustain and scale impact over time — measuring unit economics, follow-on capital raised, and replication by other market actors.