Endeavor Catalyst, the investment branch of Endeavor Global, has started raising its fifth fund, aiming for $300 million — the biggest fund in its history so far.
The fund is still in the early stages, but Endeavor Catalyst has already started talking to family offices, development groups, and tech founders from its global network.
These early talks are part of their plan to support a new group of growing companies in regions like Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
With this new fund, Endeavor Catalyst will manage over $800 million in total. This makes it one of the most active investment funds in developing countries.
Through its first four funds, Endeavor Catalyst raised over $540 million and invested in more than 360 companies across 34 countries. One of its well-known investments in the region is Tabby, a company based in the UAE.
Endeavor Catalyst doesn’t lead funding rounds. Instead, it invests alongside big investment firms and doesn’t set special conditions for its investments.
It usually joins funding rounds of $5 million or more, mainly during Series A to Series C stages. The fund focuses on supporting founders who are growing fast and making a positive impact in their communities.
The launch of the new fund comes at a time when venture capital investments have slowed down significantly, especially since 2022.
As follow-up funding rounds get smaller, cash becomes harder to access, and investors become more cautious, many have stopped investing in emerging markets.
But unlike the general slowdown, Endeavor Catalyst had a strong finish in 2024. In the last three months of the year, it made 13 new investments across seven countries — its third-highest number of investments in a single quarter.
So far, over 30 companies backed by Endeavor Catalyst have had successful exits through IPOs or being acquired by other firms. One example is InstaDeep, a company from Tunisia.
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