Sydney Thiam is a Venture Building Lead at Catalyst Fund, where he spearheads the
growth and scaling of transformative tech ventures across Africa, conducting due
diligence and guiding portfolio companies toward operational excellence. With deep
experience as an operator, climate VC, and ex-founder, Sydney has built and managed
high-performing teams and systems that scale impactful solutions in emerging markets.
He has worked extensively with startups across sectors like climate-smart agriculture,
clean energy, circular economy, and urban mobility, covering key markets such as Kenya,
Nigeria, Senegal, Egypt, and South Africa. Prior to Catalyst Fund, Sydney led market
expansion at Sendy, launching operations in four African countries and driving its digital
marketing transformation. He also founded a tech startup in London and held strategic
roles at Airbus Group and global agency networks SID LEE and FCB, crafting strategies
for accounts such as Google, Samsung, Mercedes, NIVEA, and illy Caffè.