Climate Proofers: Maëlis Carraro On Building A Climate Adaptation Venture Fund

Africa is a magnet for climate risks — from floods to droughts to storms like Tropical Cyclone Freddy, which displaced half a million people in Malawi last year. 

However, the continent’s vulnerability has also made it a hotbed of climate adaptation. Thousands are joining (or starting) businesses to climate-proof the continent — and investors are taking note.

In this week’s episode, Louie is joined by Maëlis Carraro, managing partner at The Catalyst Fund, a pre-seed VC fund and accelerator that supports African climate adaptation startups. They discuss how Catalyst started, the importance of adaptation-focused funds, and what startups are making waves throughout the African continent.

They also get into the landscape for blended finance and what needs to be done to crowd more private capital into climate adaptation companies.

Listen below, download from the Podcasts page on Climate Proof, or tune in via Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

We talk about:

👉 How The Catalyst Fund got started

👉 What kinds of adaptation-focused startups are cropping up in Africa

👉 How The Catalyst Fund goes about nurturing “human capital”

👉 The current state of play in climate tech funding

👉 The role of blended finance in the early-stage climate tech space

Future guests include John Robinson of Mazarine Ventures and Jay Koh of The Lightsmith Group.

Like what you hear? Then make sure to follow the pod and consider leaving a review!

Thanks for listening!

Louie Woodall
Editor