Founded by former U.S. Under Secretary of Energy Dr. Kristina M. Johnson and Mr. Heriberto Diarte, founder of SE Ventures, Catalyzer Ventures backs breakthrough companies transforming the built environment including innovative energy, infrastructure, and industrial systems.
Research Triangle Park, NC and Silicon Valley, CA — Catalyzer Ventures today announced the first close and official launch of its inaugural Seed and Series A venture fund, targeting $100M to support companies accelerating the modernization of the physical economy, with a focus on energy, infrastructure, and industrial systems. The firm has already completed four investments, with additional transactions underway.
Catalyzer was founded on a simple conviction that companies often fail not because the technology fails, but because commercialization is difficult. Industrial markets are complex, regulated, and capital-intensive. Founders often need far more than financing to achieve scale.
At the same time, the convergence of AI-driven power demand, grid modernization, industrial decarbonization, resilient infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing is creating one of the largest infrastructure and industrial investment cycles in decades. Catalyzer believes this moment represents a generational opportunity to deploy technologies capable of improving the efficiency, resilience, productivity, and sustainability of the built environment.
Catalyzer focuses on the critical transition from Potential to Proven. This is the stage where technologies have demonstrated technical validation, but commercial adoption, operational scale, customer traction, and institutional readiness determine long-term success. The firm targets companies where technical risk has been substantially reduced, but commercialization and scaling remain the critical barriers to value creation.
Catalyzer concentrates on technologies that improve large-scale physical systems including power generation, industrial operations, infrastructure, manufacturing, and the built environment. This is where successful deployment can improve efficiency, resilience, productivity, and sustainability at global scale.
"We focus on the built environment: sectors where the systems are complex, capital-intensive, and essential to everyday life," said Kristina M. Johnson, Co-Founder and Managing Partner. "When innovative technologies successfully scale across energy, infrastructure, and industrial systems, they can create lasting economic, operational, and environmental value at global scale."
"Our role extends well beyond providing capital," added Heriberto Diarte, Co-Founder and Managing Partner. "We work alongside founders to accelerate commercialization, secure strategic customers, scale operations, and position companies to attract larger pools of institutional capital."
Catalyzer's leadership team brings decades of experience spanning science, industrial operations, infrastructure, government, and venture investing, with more than 70 investments across energy, climate, mobility, infrastructure, and industrial technology.
The firm's leadership includes former operators, industrial executives, infrastructure owners, scientists, and public-sector leaders with deep experience deploying technology inside complex real-world systems. Catalyzer leverages extensive relationships across industry, government, utilities, research institutions, and infrastructure operators to help accelerate commercialization for portfolio companies.
Johnson is a scientist, entrepreneur, investor, and former senior government leader whose career has spanned academia, industry, and public service. As U.S. Under Secretary of Energy under President Barack Obama, she oversaw an $11B portfolio and helped launch ARPA-E. She holds 45 U.S. patents, is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the National Inventors Hall of Fame, and received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 2025. As Co-Founder of Cube Hydro Partners, she led the company to a successful sale generating 2.4x DPI and a 22.9% net IRR.
Before co-founding Catalyzer, Diarte spent nearly two decades scaling industrial businesses at global companies including CEMEX and Alstom. He later founded SE Ventures, Schneider Electric's $1.2B venture platform, where he built a 45-company portfolio across energy, infrastructure, and industrial technologies, delivering a 28% IRR as of his departure. He subsequently served as Partner at Quantum Capital Group's Innovation Fund, helping oversee approximately $150M in energy transition and climate investments.
Operating Partner Neal Simmons serves as CEO of Eagle Creek Renewable Energy, the largest independent hydropower platform in the United States, bringing decades of experience operating and scaling renewable infrastructure assets. Dr. Simmons is a professor of the practice at Duke University and holds 33 patents and patents pending.
Catalyzer works closely with founders navigating operationally complex industries, helping companies secure industrial customers, build strategic partnerships, and prepare for follow-on investment from strategic and private equity investors. The firm targets companies capable of achieving meaningful scale and potential liquidity events within five to seven years.
Catalyzer's initial investments to date include:
Additional investments will be announced in the coming weeks.
Catalyzer believes the next generation of enduring technology companies will be built not only in software, but in the systems that power, move, manufacture, and sustain the world.
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About Catalyzer Ventures: Catalyzer Ventures is an operator-led venture capital firm investing in commercial-ready technologies that modernize the physical economy, which represents the majority of global GDP and capital stock. The firm focuses on energy, infrastructure, and industrial systems. Catalyzer partners with founders to accelerate commercialization, win strategic partnerships, scale operations, secure follow-on financing, and create optionality for successful exits to strategic acquirers or private equity sponsors. For more information, visit catalyzervc.com or contact info@catalyzervc.com.
