Catalyst Innovation Solutions is a Pretoria-based management consultancy working with founder-led businesses at the point of scale — where growth stops being about hustle and starts being about structure.
“We sat in the seat before we built the practice.”
Carmen Naidoo and Maryke Fischer didn’t come from consulting. They built businesses. They hired teams, hit walls, made payroll by the skin of their teeth, and navigated the particular chaos that only founders know. Catalyst was built on that lived experience — not theory.
They founded Catalyst because they kept seeing the same pattern: brilliant founders with real momentum, stuck in the gap between where they were and where they needed to be. Not for lack of ambition — but for lack of structure, systems, and leadership clarity.
Catalyst exists to close that gap. Not with generic frameworks, but with deeply specific, integrated work that meets a business exactly where it is.
Everything we do fits within the BUILD · LEAD · GROW framework — three integrated service pillars that address every dimension of a scaling business.
The internal engine. Structure, systems, financial controls, and the operational infrastructure that lets a business scale without breaking.
Explore BUILD →The human layer. Management frameworks, culture design, and leadership development that turns a team of individuals into a high-performing organisation.
Explore LEAD →The external engine. Brand positioning, go-to-market strategy, and growth systems that build market presence and drive sustainable revenue.
Explore GROW →Two founders. Complementary expertise. One shared belief that founder-led businesses deserve better than generic advice.
Carmen leads Catalyst’s GROW work — brand positioning, go-to-market strategy, and growth architecture. She built her first brand from scratch, scaled it through multiple markets, and learned firsthand that growth without a clear brand thesis is just noise. Her approach is strategic by design and diagnostic by instinct: she helps founders find the signal in the chaos and build a market position that lasts.
Maryke leads Catalyst’s BUILD and LEAD work — operational design, leadership frameworks, and culture architecture. She spent years inside fast-scaling businesses, building the internal systems that keep growth sustainable. Her work is precise and grounded: she designs the structures that allow founders to step back from the day-to-day without losing control of what matters.
We never skip the foundation. Growth without structure is organised chaos — and chaos is expensive. Every engagement starts by identifying what needs to be built before we can grow.
Every engagement starts with clear terms, deliverables, and accountability on both sides. Not because we don’t trust our clients — but because clarity protects the relationship and the result.
We don’t do fluffy strategy decks. Every recommendation comes with an execution plan, defined success metrics, and a clear owner. Good ideas that don’t move are just expensive documents.
BUILD, LEAD, and GROW don’t work in isolation — and neither do we. The most effective engagements address multiple pillars simultaneously, because that’s how businesses actually function.
We work with a small number of founder-led businesses at any given time. If you think we might be the right fit, let’s find out.
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