MassMutual Catalyst Fund II

Investing outside the status quo

Building on the $50m Fund I launched in 2021, Fund II’s $100m commitment will continue to concentrate capital in Black-led businesses in Massachusetts and expand its footprint nationally to impactful companies with Black, LatinX and Indigenous founders.

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About the Catalyst Fund
Owner of Hourwork standing on the floor of the stock market

Increasing investments in underserved businesses

At MassMutual, we’re committed to fueling innovation, creativity, and problem-solving to benefit the economic majority. We believe this begins with creating financial opportunities where historic disparities exist. That’s why we established the MassMutual Catalyst Fund I & II — a $150 million commitment to increasing diversity in, and access to, venture capital.

Fund II will scale nationally and create further impact momentum. We know the mission to increase access to capital to overlooked founders and changing the ratio of who is funded in venture capital is not an easy challenge. That's why the MassMutual Catalyst Fund is expanding our focus and working with like minded partners. We will continue to focus investing in MA companies and selectively invest alongside fund managers with the First Fund Initiative at a national level.

$100 million fund

Check sizes range from $500K-$5M

Seed to Series B

Meeting founders where they are with support to help them grow

Impact Companies

Providing catalytic funding for high-impact companies

Diverse Founders

Investing in Black, Latino, and Indigenous Founder or Co-Founder
Powering progress
Two coworkers sitting in front of a laptop discussing.

Investing in diversity

The Catalyst Fund is powering progress in a world where women and people of color only manage 1% of the 70 trillion of capital in the United States. We’re making an impact in Massachusetts where only .4% of funding goes to black founders.*

We’re passionate about being the change and prioritizing companies with social impact built into their DNA. That means that as the business grows, their impact grows too. As we assess businesses, we consider not only financial return, but potential to advance racial equity, reduce the rural-urban divide, and make an economic impact in Massachusetts and beyond.

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Industry agnostic and founding team driven

We look for strong financial and impact return with an industry preference in the following areas:​

Healthcare Equity

Healthcare technologies that reduce disparities in health outcomes across the population

Economic Inclusion

Availability and equality of opportunities to access financial goods and services​

Climate

Technologies that ensure the transition to clean energy is fair, inclusive and economically beneficial for all

Future of Work

HR and education technologies that encourage workforce participation​

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What makes our process different?

Impact investing requires critical thinking, not checking boxes. We’re committed to building innovative approaches and alternatives in:

                       Sourcing
Our online application lowers barriers to accessing our funding.

                       Screening
We look twice - taking a consultative approach, with an emphasis on transparency and trust.

                       Selection
We prioritize companies with scalable business models tied to social impact which comes in many shapes. That could mean removing structural barriers like access to better education or finance, or it could mean creating quality jobs in a rural area.

                       Value Add
Our passionate team is dedicated to our entrepreneurs' success. We consult regularly with our portfolio companies at key intersections and provide strategic insight, leverage our MassMutual network, facilitate introductions to other investors and are continually expanding the ways we add value to our wide spectrum of portfolio companies.

Rooted in venture. Built for impact.

We like to think of the Catalyst Fund as having VC hardware and impact software — meaning, while we’re backed by MassMutual’s more than 170 years of financial strength, we’re also constantly evolving to maximize our social and economic impact. Together, our impact investing team has a total of 55 years of expertise, with backgrounds ranging from founding companies to traditional investment management to overseeing global startup accelerators.

Rahkeem Morris, Founder & CEO, HourWork

“MassMutual Catalyst Fund has really been a gamechanger for us, and I couldn’t imagine being here without the help of the team.”

take the next step

Apply to the Catalyst Fund

Ready to take your company to the next level? We’re ready to help. Begin the application process by completing our online submission form.

Impact Investing Home

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MassMutual First Fund

Explore the MassMutual First Fund, the national initiative to seed the rising generation of diverse led emerging funds

Frequently Asked Question

Learn more about our startup funding opportunities and what we look for in future applicants.

Impact Investing News & Updates

Find out what’s happening with the fund, our portfolio companies, and more.