Rod Schwartz, CEO, Catalyst Fund,
SUMMARY
Rodney Schwartz was born in the USA and has lived in London since 1987. His professional background is largely with investment banks. He formed Catalyst, the venture capital firm in 1997 which is now focused on social businesses and social enterprise—this accounts for nearly all of his work-related endeavours.Rod Schwartz's presentation, "Social Business and Social Enterprise Lessons from Abroad & the Implications for Canada" (PDF)
CATALYST
Catalyst exists to help social businesses succeed. The £25 million venture capital fund it is raising, will invest in profitable UK-based social businesses operating in the Health, Education, Alternative Energy & the Environment and "Ethical Consumerism" sectors. In addition, it engages in research on these sectors which will be published through the information portal, socialinvestments.com, in early 2008. Catalyst also provides a wide variety of consultancy and advisory services to social businesses and social enterprises.In addition, Catalyst hosts an annual conference for social business CEOs and selected investors and sponsors the “Catalyst in” series of trips to learn from social enterprises and businesses around the world (recent trips include Thailand and the Balkans and in 2008 will take in Chile and Argentina). Catalyst’s professionals also maintain the Social Business Blog and regularly lecture and participate in third party produced reports on social business and social enterprise, with a focus on the business and enterprise side.
HISTORY OF CATALYST
Rodney founded Catalyst Fund Management & Research Ltd. in 1997 as a new-style, sector-focused venture capital firm. Catalyst became a pioneer in utilizing in-depth research to select and then assist portfolio companies. With strong sector knowledge at its core, Catalyst’s £40 million first fund was the only European–based venture fund focused on financial services. Beginning in the late 1990s Catalyst began to explore diversifying into a “social sector”—defined as a sector where social returns are generated as a by-product of creating successful businesses. In 2003 Catalyst began to advise younger social businesses and on a number of occasions, assumed Board seats. Eventually, this activity became formalized in a new business unit called Catalyst Strategy Advisors LLP in early 2007, run by Jessica Shortall.Julia Meek, who joined in 2006, is responsible for Catalyst’s research activities, which will be formally launched in early 2008 as the information portal socialinvestments.com. For ease of reference all these businesses are now referred to simply as "Catalyst".
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Rod began his career in strategic planning at US investment bank, PaineWebber (now UBS). Eventually he shifted to Equity Research where he became the top-rated US financial services analyst. Rodney and his family decided to move to London in 1987, and he joined Lehman Brothers, where he eventually became Managing Director, running the Equities business in Europe. In 1994, Rodney was recruited by Paribas to become Managing Director and Head of Investment Banking for Financial Institutions. In 1997 he left Paribas to start Catalyst.While investing in young businesses, Rodney has served on many Boards as a Non-Executive Director and as Chair. In addition to Catalyst-related Boards, Rodney has been on the Board of several mainstream and social businesses and organizations including: Winterthur Life (UK), UK Social Investment Forum, Shelter (the largest UK Housing and Homelessness charity) and Justgiving.com (the latter two as Chairman). Rodney also is currently Chair of The Green Thing, and Non-Executive Director of the Ethical Property Company and Paris-based AXA Investment Managers.
Rod lives in London with his wife and four children and loves to ski and dabble in politics--he has been a past advisor to the Liberal Democrat party.
