Catalysr
Catalysr is an Australian not-for-profit startup accelerator that runs free and subsidised entrepreneurship programs for migrant and refugee founders (Migrapreneurs) across Sydney and Melbourne, supported by government and corporate grants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersSydney, Australia
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Catalysr does
Catalysr is an Australian not-for-profit startup accelerator, operated by Catalysr Foundation Ltd (ABN 32 618 083 391), a registered charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Sydney with a second office in Melbourne, the organisation runs entrepreneurship programs targeted at first-generation migrants, refugees, and international students — branded as Migrapreneurs — who want to launch startups or social enterprises in Australia. Since inception, Catalysr reports supporting 1,263+ migrapreneurs from 87 countries (48% female) who have created 300+ businesses, alongside a 1,200+ member community of professionals, advisors, and mentors.
The product portfolio comprises four core programs: the Accelerate Program (a free, three-month intensive accelerator for up to 25 startups with no equity taken and TechVisa-backed $2,500 grants); the Migrapreneur Fellowship (an 8-week program with tech-startup and social-impact tracks, priced at $275 per startup); Melbourne Migrapreneurs (a City of Melbourne–funded program delivered with Arctic 90 at Stone & Chalk, with a $100 commitment fee recycled as founder grants); and AI Shift (a free four-part workshop series funded by the City of Sydney that trains underrepresented founders to apply AI tools to their businesses, with six months of post-program 1:1 coaching). Delivery blends in-person workshops at venue partners (Haymarket HQ, Stone & Chalk, StartSpace) with virtual/hybrid components via Zoom, a Notion resource portal, and a perpetual alumni Slack community.
Catalysr is funded primarily through donations, government and corporate grants, and nominal program fees; no equity is taken and most programs are free or highly subsidised. The four-person core team (Co-Founder & CEO Usman Iftikhar, Director Sam Bricknell, Operations Manager Shelby Clark, Content Creator Shariq Najeeb) is supplemented by a mentor and advisor network. Strategic and financial partners include City of Melbourne, City of Sydney, TechVisa, NiceTo, Arctic 90, Stone & Chalk, Westpac Foundation, Citi, Macquarie Bank, YGAP, TechFugees, Allied Legal, and SBO Financial.
Catalysr firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Catalysr
- Legal name
- Catalysr Foundation Ltd
- Website
- https://catalysr.com.au
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Catalysr is an Australian not-for-profit startup accelerator that runs free and subsidised entrepreneurship programs for migrant and refugee founders (Migrapreneurs) across Sydney and Melbourne, supported by government and corporate grants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Catalysr industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Startup Accelerator Services
- NAICS
- Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Support Services (611710), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)
Keywords
Where Catalysr is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sydney
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices2 records
Markets served
Catalysr business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: Catalysr Foundation Ltd (ABN 32 618 083 391) is a registered charity with the ACNC. They rely on donations from supporters, partners, and the public to fund their programs.
- Program Fees: The Fellowship programs charge $275 per startup (highly subsidised). Melbourne Migrapreneurs charges a $100 commitment fee that is reinvested into a grant pool for top-performing startups. These fees are minimal and serve to ensure skin in the game rather than generate significant revenue.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Annual | Accelerate Program - Free |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Migrapreneur Fellowship - $275 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Melbourne Migrapreneurs - $100 |
| Freemium | Annual | AI Shift - Free |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Catalysr product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Catalysr is a non-profit startup accelerator that runs intensive entrepreneurship programs for migrant and refugee entrepreneurs (Migrapreneurs) in Australia. It offers multi-format programs including a 3-month intensive accelerator, 8-week fellowship tracks for tech startups and social impact, location-specific Melbourne programs, and AI-focused workshops for underrepresented founders. The programs combine mentorship, masterclasses, community support, grants, and post-program alumni access.
Product overview
Catalysr operates as an award-winning startup accelerator offering multiple entrepreneurship programs for migrant and refugee entrepreneurs (Migrapreneurs). The product portfolio includes the Accelerate Program (3-month intensive accelerator), Migrapreneur Fellowship (8-week foundational learning program in tech and social impact tracks), Melbourne Migrapreneurs (in-person Melbourne-specific program with ideation and traction streams), and AI Shift (AI-focused workshop series for underrepresented founders). These programs are interconnected, with alumni transitioning between programs and accessing ongoing community support, grants, and mentorship across the Catalysr ecosystem. The organization has supported 1263 migrapreneurs from 87 countries since 2016, creating 300+ businesses.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Accelerate Program: A three-month intensive accelerator program for up to 25 startups, offering mentorship, workshops, and weekly events.
- Migrapreneur Fellowship
- AI Shift
- Melbourne Migrapreneurs
Products and services
- Accelerate Program A three-month intensive startup accelerator program for up to 25 startups, featuring Startup Bootcamp, weekly Entrepreneur in Residence (EiR) mentorship, weekly office hours, community sessions, workshops, and grant opportunities in partnership with TechVisa. Designed for early-stage tech startups (less than 5 years old, less than 10 staff) with migrant/refugee founders. Completely free with no equity taken.
- Migrapreneur Fellowship Program An 8-week fellowship program for migrants and refugees to learn about starting a business in Australia, offered in two tracks: Tech Startups and Social Impact. Includes weekly masterclasses, community events, workshops, and lifetime access to Catalysr's alumni network. Highly subsidised fee of $275 per startup with scholarships available.
- Melbourne Migrapreneurs Program A program for migrants, refugees and international students in Melbourne featuring two streams (Ideation and Traction), 8 masterclasses, virtual coaching, a Validation Sprint with $1,000 grants, and mentoring. Delivered in partnership with City of Melbourne and Arctic 90. Charges a $100 commitment fee reinvested as a grant pool for top-performing startups.
- AI Shift Program A free four-part in-person workshop series designed to help underrepresented founders (migrants, refugees, culturally diverse entrepreneurs, and women) harness AI for business efficiency. Includes 4 workshops, Notion resource portal, 1:1 coaching for up to six months, and Slack community access. Supported by City of Sydney.
Quantifiable outcome
- 300+ businesses created by alumni
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Catalysr
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Catalysr technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
AI capability2 records
Catalysr partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- City of MelbournecoreMajor funding partner for Melbourne Migrapreneurs program. City of Melbourne provides financial support to significantly subsidize the program for participants. They also organize a networking event with alumni, mentors, and ecosystem stakeholders.
- Arctic 90coreBoutique advisory firm that runs the Validation Sprint & Mentoring component of Melbourne Migrapreneurs. Specializes in empowering impact-driven entrepreneurs, particularly CALD women, migrants, and next-gen founders.
- Stone & ChalkcoreAustralia's largest innovation hub and venue partner for in-person masterclasses in Melbourne. Located at 121 King St, Melbourne CBD.
- NiceTocorePrincipal Partner for AI Shift program. Provides marketing support and expertise for the underrepresented founders AI training initiative.
- TechVisacorePartnership for grant funding: Catalysr Foundation and TechVisa offer 4 x $2,500 grants to Accelerate 2025 cohort founders to relieve financial burden of administrative/operational expenses.
- Haymarket HQcoreCo-working space partner hosting Catalysr Sydney office at 2/63 Dixon St, Haymarket NSW.
- StartSpacecoreCo-working space partner hosting Catalysr Melbourne office at State Library of Victoria.
- YGAPminorImpact-focused startup support organization listed as supporter.
- TechFugeesminorOrganization supporting refugees in tech, aligned with Catalysr's mission.
- Allied LegalminorLegal services partner providing pro-bono or subsidized legal support to program participants.
- SBO FinancialminorFinancial services partner providing accounting/financial guidance to startups.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Catalysr competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- TechFugees: Global social enterprise supporting refugees in technology. Both focus on refugee and migrant founder empowerment with community-driven models, though TechFugees operates globally and Catalysr is Australia-only.
- Antler: Global early-stage accelerator with a strong Australian presence. Both run intensive cohort programs for aspiring founders, but Antler takes equity and recruits globally, while Catalysr targets migrants/refugees in Australia with no equity.
- Startmate: Australia's leading generalist startup accelerator. Both run multi-week cohort-based accelerators with mentor networks targeting early-stage Australian founders, but Startmate is tech-focused and equity-taking, while Catalysr focuses on migrant founders and takes no equity.
- YGAP: Melbourne-based impact-focused startup support organization listed as a Catalysr supporter. Both back early-stage social enterprises and under-represented founders in Australia, with similar funder and mentor ecosystems.
- Halogen Foundation: Australian non-profit running youth entrepreneurship and leadership programs. Both target young and under-represented founders with educational programming, though Halogen focuses on youth and Catalysr on migrants/refugees.
- The Growth Project: Australia-based accelerator for social enterprises and not-for-profits. Both serve impact-driven founders with mentorship and training programs in Australia, with shared funder and ecosystem overlap.
- Slingshot: Australian startup accelerator running cohort-based programs for early-stage founders. Both operate in Sydney/Melbourne with mentor networks and government partnerships, though Slingshot targets scale-ready startups and Catalysr focus on migrant founders.
- Hatch (Australia): Australian non-profit supporting entrepreneurs from refugee and migrant backgrounds. Both target migrant and refugee founders with mentor-driven programs, providing the most direct mission-level overlap in the Australian ecosystem.
Emerging players
- Stone & Chalk: Australia's largest innovation hub and a venue/program partner for Catalysr in Melbourne. Both serve early-stage Australian startups, but Stone & Chalk is a broader innovation hub with FinTech specialty programs, whereas Catalysr is a niche migrapreneur accelerator.
- Connections Australia: Australia-based supporter of Catalysr's programs. Both serve migrant and refugee communities in Australia with settlement and economic participation services, though Connections Australia focuses on settlement services while Catalysr focuses on entrepreneurship.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses6 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Catalysr social profiles
Digital presenceCatalysr compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Catalysr financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Catalysr leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Catalysr funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Catalysr M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments2 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Catalysr
What does Catalysr do?
Catalysr is a non-profit startup accelerator that runs intensive entrepreneurship programs for migrant and refugee entrepreneurs (Migrapreneurs) in Australia. It offers multi-format programs including a 3-month intensive accelerator, 8-week fellowship tracks for tech startups and social impact, location-specific Melbourne programs, and AI-focused workshops for underrepresented founders. The programs combine mentorship, masterclasses, community support, grants, and post-program alumni access.
Is Catalysr a public or private company?
Catalysr is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Catalysr founded?
Catalysr was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Catalysr based?
Catalysr is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Catalysr make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Charitable Contributions are the primary driver. The others are program Fees.
Who are Catalysr's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are TechFugees, Antler, Startmate, YGAP, Halogen Foundation, The Growth Project, Slingshot and Hatch (Australia). Emerging players are Stone & Chalk and Connections Australia.
Does Catalysr have an API?
No public API is recorded for Catalysr.
What industry is Catalysr in?
Catalysr's product category is Startup Accelerator Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAHAC, Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators, with a secondary code of EDAMAHAA, Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics. Its NAICS code is 611430 and its SIC code is 8200.