Maelis Carraro

Managing Partner, Catalyst Fund

Maelis Carraro is the Managing Partner of Catalyst Fund. Maelis has spent her career in impact investing and tech, working alongside tech startups, investors, DFIs, banks, and philanthropic funders to pioneer tech-enabled solutions across emerging markets. 

At Catalyst Fund, she invests and supports early-stage entrepreneurs that build affordable, accessible, and appropriate solutions for underserved and climate-vulnerable communities.

She has worked with over 70 early-stage startups across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, while contributing to building the innovation ecosystem in emerging markets. Previously, she worked at the International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group), the OECD, Grameen Bank, and impact fund Global Partnerships, supporting impact investing strategies and product innovation in the inclusive finance sector.

She also co-founded her own fintech startup RemitMas, a cross-border remittances company helping Latino immigrants save in their home countries.

Maelis holds a dual MBA and Master in International Affairs from Columbia Business School and the School of International and Public Affairs. She received her BA Cum Laude from University College London in Political Science and Development Economics.