How many investments has Catalysr made?

Catalysr has 26 tracked investments.

What stage does Catalysr invest at?

Catalysr invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.

What sectors does Catalysr focus on?

Catalysr focuses on Impact & Social Good, Sector Agnostic.

Where is Catalysr located?

Catalysr is headquartered in Sydney, AU.

Catalysr

Accelerator

Sydney · Pre-Seed–Seed · 5 people tracked

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Investment thesis

Catalysr focuses on empowering migrant and refugee entrepreneurs in Australia through intensive pre-accelerator and accelerator programs. Since 2016 it has supported over 1,200 migrapreneurs from 87 countries, roughly half of them female, helping create 300+ businesses. The organization emphasizes providing momentum, structure, connections, and confidence to founders, supported by a large community of professionals, advisors and mentors. Its mission centers on building a more inclusive Australia by helping newcomers succeed as founders of their own startups and social enterprises.

Invests inImpact & Social GoodSector AgnosticAustralia Sydney

Source: firm website, verified Sep 27, 2026.

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Stage

Pre-Seed–Seed

Sydney, AU

Instruments

Equity · Grants

Founded

2016

Portfolio companies

Team · 5 people

from the firm's website

Usman Iftikhar· Co-Founder & CEO· Melbourne, Victoria, Australiain

Usman Iftikhar is CEO of Catalysr, a pre-accelerator program for migrants and refugees, and has worked across for-profit and nonprofit sectors for 15 years across multiple countries. He has received recognition including the 2018 Commonwealth Young Person of the Year award and multiple fellowships and leadership honors in Australia and the Asia Pacific region. His work focuses on addressing climate change and the global refugee crisis.

Alan Jones· Director· Melbourne, Victoria, Australiain 𝕏

Alan Jones is an angel investor and startup mentor based in Australia with experience as a founder. He co-manages M8 Ventures, a venture capital fund and angel syndicate manager focused on early-stage, product-led tech startups from Australia and New Zealand. Jones also hosts Pick My Brain, a podcast featuring live founder pitches and feedback, and serves on the advisory board at Canbury.

Sam Bricknell· Director· Australiain

Sam Bricknell is CEO and co-founder of Techvisa, an immigration consultancy specializing in visa solutions for technology professionals and companies across Australia, New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Singapore. The firm assists startups, scale-ups, and established businesses with visa processes including employer-nominated visas, short-term work visas, and specialist categories such as the Global Talent visa.

Shariq Najeeb· Content Creator· Greater Brisbane Areain

Shariq Najeeb is a digital content creator at Catalysr, an accelerator for migrants and refugees. He has seven years of experience in brand marketing, including prior roles at Ogilvy and JWT, working on advertising campaigns across traditional, direct, and digital channels for both local and global brands. His background includes copywriting and visual design with experience managing diverse teams.

Shelby Clark· Operations Manager· Sydney, New South Wales, Australiain

Shelby Clark is founder and CEO of Oz Green Oasis and currently serves as Operations Manager at Catalysr, an accelerator for migrants and refugees. With over 15 years of experience, Clark has developed go-to-market strategies and led marketing and sales initiatives across multiple industries including consulting, technology, agribusiness, and banking, working with organizations ranging from micro-enterprises to multinational corporations across Australia, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Africa. Clark's work includes launching 24 new markets in 24 months, achieving 40% sales growth, and supporting green businesses in Ghana, six of which received grants.

Founder mafia

2 people who came through Catalysr went on to found or lead other companies.

Alan JonesDirectorFounded Fishburners Jeanette CheahExpert in ResidenceFounded Hex

What they invest in

from 12 of 26 portfolio companies

Consumer ×4AI & Machine Learning ×2Climate Tech ×2HR Tech ×2Impact & Social Good ×2B2B Marketplaces ×1Circular Economy ×1Cleantech ×1

HQs:Australia×10

Portfolio companies · 26 tracked

alumni founders can tell you what the program is really like

Bluebell Research Australiabluebellresearch.com.au

Bluebell Research is a technology and digital talent recruitment specialist that connects candidates and contractors with employers across Australia.

Future of WorkHR Tech

CogniVocalcognivocal.com

CogniVocal is a voice AI agency that designs, builds, and tests voice experiences for brands across platforms like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Samsung Bixby.

AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareMarketing Tech

Dyung Ngo(CTO & Founder)André Alcantara(CMO & Founder)

Culture and Cocultureandco.com.au

Culture & Co. is an organisation focused on improving the design and delivery of multicultural and settlement services, working through partnerships and collaborations to support inclusion for migrant and refugee communities in Australia.

Impact & Social Good

Mohammed Yassin(Founder & CEO)in

Green Grid Energygreengridenergy.com.au

Green Grid Energy builds integrated power management hardware and firmware for constructing and operating DC, AC, or hybrid microgrids, including converters and inverters.

CleantechEnergyHardware

HR Partnerhrpartner.io

HR Partner is cloud-based HR software for small and medium businesses (teams of 20-500), offering tools for employee records, recruitment, onboarding, leave management, performance reviews, expense claims, and payroll integrations.

Cloud ComputingHR TechSaaS

Introducerintroducer.com.au

Introducer is an Australian broker service that connects small businesses with lenders offering business finance from $5,000 to $12 million, including unsecured loans, invoice financing, equipment finance, and bills of exchange.

B2B MarketplacesFintech

Koshari Kornerkosharikorner.com

Koshari Korner is an Egyptian eatery serving the vegan street food dish koshari (a mix of lentils, pasta, and rice topped with chickpeas, crispy onions, and tomato salsa) along with other Egyptian menu items.

ConsumerSydney, AU

Walid(Founder)

Muralistomuralisto.com

Muralisto works with communities to design and install public art and large-scale murals for spaces such as schools, parks, and civic sites.

ConsumerCreator EconomySydney, AU

Natural Panaanaturalpanaa.com

Natural Panaa produces biodegradable disposable tableware made from fallen palm leaves for events and catering services.

Circular EconomyClimate TechConsumerFoodTechSydney, AU

Premjith Herman inMisha Ahmed

Saari Collectivesaaricollective.com.au

SAARI Collective is a media platform and community serving South Asian Australians who work in creativity, media, startups and social impact.

Impact & Social GoodMedia & EntertainmentSocial

Spiral Bluespiralblue.space in

Spiral Blue builds LiDAR Earth observation satellites to provide high-resolution data for national security, disaster response, climate mitigation, and insurance applications.

AI & Machine LearningClimate TechData & InfrastructureDefense TechSpace TechEveleigh, AU

Taofiq Huq(CEO)inMJ Akter(COO)in

Co-investorsTechstars

The Pluralist Watchesthepluralist.com.au

The Pluralist Watches is a direct-to-consumer watch brand that designs minimalist timepieces featuring numerals from different world languages and scripts (such as Sino-Japanese, Thai, and Arabic).

ConsumerDirect to ConsumerE-commerceBrisbane, AU

Other

Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.

2 Boys in SarisAion SpectrumAussie Busker DiariesCharitybayDiamonds from the SkydriverliFutures CollectiveGiftskoutHumanism GlobalMy Good LinksRentableTTI MigrationWater DemocracyYogiBirth

Frequently asked questions

How many investments has Catalysr made?: Catalysr has 26 tracked investments.
What stage does Catalysr invest at?: Catalysr invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
What sectors does Catalysr focus on?: Catalysr focuses on Impact & Social Good, Sector Agnostic.
Where is Catalysr located?: Catalysr is headquartered in Sydney, AU.

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