Werner - Careers at Catalyze

Hello, I’m
Werner

By applying my knowledge, I can contribute to a better world. ”

Hello, I’m
Werner

By applying my knowledge, I can contribute to a better world.”

Werner Fischer

Impact investing lead & Management Consultant sustainable innovation

“At Catalyze, I get to combine all of my skills and be part of a world-changing evolution – blending business and impact.”
Catalyze gave me the opportunity and prior confidence to set up my own department after just six months. And that is exactly why Catalyze is the organisation I want to work for. Especially as a young innovator, the freedom to turn ideas and visions into reality is priceless. It’s the way to make an impact in a rapidly changing world.

As an innovator, I’ve had a keen interest in economics, business, and technology from a young age. I’ve always wanted to understand how the economy operates, the different business models that exist, and the ways companies innovate to bring new products to market. Beyond this, I was always curious about what impact innovative ideas can have on our systems, society, and way of life. To me, my studies in economics, business and technology management in Germany allowed me to learn about the ins and outs within this field. However, I felt that there needs to be more than just conducting business with the skills I learned.

Then, a door opened for me at Catalyze.''

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In my final year of my master’s program, I studied at the University of California, Berkeley in the US to learn directly from Professors that develop the academic concepts around innovation (e.g. Open Innovation) and apply those in real life. Surprisingly, they went one step further when linking innovation to sustainability for creating shared value. For example, when Unilever invests in raising awareness for health-contributing FMCG products in rural India, everyone benefits. By teaching the benefits and increasing awareness to their customer base, sales also grow.

It clicked. Finally, I learned that the conventional business approach has the potential to drive positive societal and environmental change. My enthusiasm for this topic, skills, and knowledge made me join the Smart Village program developed at UC Berkeley. I spent one year in India to research how large corporations and startups can take upon the responsibility in solving villagers’ needs while tapping into exciting growth markets. As research scholar at UC Berkeley, I eventually could co-publish my first book with highly recognized Professors in this field reflecting our learnings from India when bringing together government, academia, and businesses to unlock sustainable growth.

Then, a door opened for me at Catalyze. I am the Impact Investing Lead & Senior Consultant for Sustainable Innovation. In my role, I work with deep tech startups to bring their technology to market that advance climate and environmental action. I bring together R&D partners, devise and strategize their roadmap towards growth, and fundraise via public sector grants that let them execute their ambitions. I could secure funding over €5.5M so far.

Learning from India, USA, and Europe, I introduced the Impact Investing model. Catalyze provided me the unique opportunity to explore, develop, and execute a new service line that allows us to facilitate funds not only through grants, but also through Impact Venture Investors. Hebey, I could continue my passion for blending business with impact and bring this to a new level. Impact Investing links financial returns to measurable environmental and/or social returns. With this strong vehicle, we facilitate investments for our clients to fuel their growth and unlock unprecedented impact.

I am grateful that Catalyze allowed me to turn my ideas into reality providing the testbed for innovation. This way, Catalyze not only brings our clients’ innovation to life, but also acts as a strong innovator itself when incentivising its employees to act as boundary-pushing change agents.