Catalyze Capital Research
Investment Thesis
Catalyze Capital is a closed-end investment fund based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. It invests in early companies that apply science and technology to make an impact on people's lives and on the planet's health. The firm describes itself as a group of optimistic venture builders who critically assess technology potential and support entrepreneurs in day-to-day management. Its stated mission is to build techventures that create impact while making a healthy return for investors. The fund is part of the Catalyze Group and works closely with Catalyze Innovation Consultants for scouting and selection, due diligence and portfolio management, drawing on more than 20 years of experience advancing innovations and a network of industrial and academic partners.
Sector Focus
The fund focuses mainly on three areas:
- Life Science (biotech, pharma, medtech, diagnostics)
- Sustainable innovation (for example precision fermentation fats)
- Deep Tech
The current portfolio leans heavily to life sciences: Breye Therapeutics (oral treatments for retinal diseases), Adrenomed (biomarker-guided precision medicine for acute conditions), Gesynta Pharma (endometriosis drug candidate vipoglanstat), and Neuro Event Labs (neurological event monitoring, FDA 510(k) clearance in November 2025). Melt&Marble is the sustainable food-tech outlier, scaling precision-fermentation fats.
Stage Focus
Seed and Series A. The fund targets companies and academic spin-offs, and says it invests in small and medium enterprises registered in Europe. A third-party database lists the fund as a pre-seed oriented 2024 vehicle, but the firm's own site states Seed and Series A.
Check Size
Up to EUR 1.5 million per company, per the firm's focus page. No minimum is stated. The Gesynta investment was part of a SEK 304 million (about EUR 26.4 million) Series B led by Innovestor Life Science, which shows the fund takes minority positions in larger syndicated rounds.
Lead Tendency
Not stated by the firm. Evidence points to a mix: the fund participated in the Gesynta Series B behind a different lead. Marked as unknown.
Recent Activity
- September 2026: announced an investment in Breye Therapeutics.
- December 2025: announced an investment in Melt&Marble.
- November 2025: portfolio company Neuro Event Labs received FDA 510(k) clearance.
- January 2025: participated in Gesynta Pharma's SEK 304M Series B.
- Adrenomed was added to the portfolio page in January 2026.
The fund appears to be actively deploying, with new investments roughly every few months.
Portfolio Highlights
Five companies are listed on the portfolio page: Breye Therapeutics, Adrenomed, Melt&Marble, Gesynta Pharma and Neuro Event Labs. No exits are listed.
Team
- Peter Schoevers, Managing Partner: serial entrepreneur, MBA from Groningen and IMD, former executive at Solvay Pharma, co-founded 15+ companies including Julius Clinical and Catalyze Innovation Consultants.
- Benjamin Sieters, Investment Director: biomedical scientist, founder of two seed funds, led 12 investment rounds.
- Theodoor Rutgers, Investment Partner: co-founder of Catalyze Innovation Consultants, has raised over EUR 100M.
- Jalal Es-Sbai, Investment Partner: co-founder of Catalyze Innovation Consultants, focused on commercial and financing strategy for life sciences, sustainable and deep tech.
- Max van Zandvoort, Investment Analyst: medical biology background, analyst at two seed funds.
- Group leadership: Marlene Vegh (Catalyze Group CEO), Tim Vink (CFO), Myriam Keijzer (Chief People Officer).
Decision Process
Partnership-style team with a dedicated investment committee-like process supported by the Catalyze Innovation Consultants due diligence team. Details are not published.
Founder Preferences
Scientific founders and academic spin-offs bringing breakthrough discoveries to market. The firm offers hands-on help with negotiations, follow-on financing, IP and licensing, non-dilutive funding, commercial and exit strategy, and recruiting experts.
Geographic Focus
Europe only. Portfolio companies are in the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland and elsewhere in Europe (Gesynta is Swedish, Neuro Event Labs is Finnish).