Catalyst Holdings

Catalyst operates as an investment group, not a blind-pool fund. The principals co-invest in every transaction, creating direct alignment without the fixed life, deployment-pressure, or fee structure typical of institutional private equity. This structure allows Catalyst to hold companies indefinitely and raise deal-by-deal capital.

Managing Partners and Co-Founders Kevyn DeMartino and Forrest Williams lead the firm. DeMartino brings lower-middle-market buyout experience from Transition Capital Partners and Triumph Holdings, while Williams is a co-founder alongside the late Jake Williams. Partner Justin Mowrey manages the remaining portfolio and works concurrently at TCP.

For majority and growth-capital investments, Catalyst targets companies with revenue under $100 million and EBITDA between $0 and $8 million. For special situations and distressed investments, the revenue ceiling is also sub-$100 million. Seed and new-venture checks are flexible in size.

Catalyst does not publish explicit negative screens. Its website lists business services, healthcare and wellness, consumer products, e-commerce, technology-enabled services, SaaS, niche manufacturing, and energy services as areas of focus. Notably absent are financial services, real estate, and hydrocarbons extraction.

Yes. Kevyn DeMartino spent eight years as Managing Partner of TCP, and Jake Williams was a TCP Principal before co-founding Catalyst. Today, Partner Justin Mowrey works at both firms. The relationship functions as a shared sourcing and operational resource, though the two entities maintain separate deal books.

No. Catalyst describes itself as patient and focused on a long-term investment horizon. Realized exits — such as LT Energy Services in 2014 and PostUp in 2019 — suggest a willingness to hold for five to ten years when a strategic acquirer offers an attractive exit.

Catalyst sources almost entirely through the networks of DeMartino and Williams. The firm invites prospective partners to speak with past founder partners and management teams before committing capital — a relationship-driven process typical of independent sponsors that do not run formal origination programs.