What Makes Us Different
Multi-Domain Pattern Recognition
Unlike generalist advisory firms, Apex Catalytic brings more than 20 years of lived experience across research, engineering, impact investing, artificial intelligence, and executive leadership. This cross-domain perspective allows us to identify viable solutions that others miss—and to connect ideas across disciplines into executable strategies.
Novel Problems Only
We focus exclusively on unprecedented sustainability challenges—problems with no clear precedent or playbook. Apex Catalytic is deliberately engineered for innovation. No templates. No recycled frameworks. Only original thinking applied to the specific realities our partners face.
Rapid Execution
Our operating model is designed for speed without sacrificing rigor. Deep experience allows us to quickly size up complex challenges, while our low-friction structure enables fast exploration, alignment, and delivery—so partners move from insight to action at pace.
Jon Powell, PhD
Founder & CEO, Apex Catalytic
Jon Powell doesn’t just advise on sustainability challenges—he has lived every dimension of them.
As a practicing engineer, he has led and executed hundreds of complex, real-world projects. As a Yale PhD researcher, he pioneered sustainability and circularity frameworks that continue to influence the field. As co-head of a $300M impact investment fund, he made high-stakes investment decisions across infrastructure, climate, and circular systems. And as an executive at Salesforce, he built and enabled sustainability tooling for more than 200 of the world’s largest companies.
This rare combination of engineering execution, academic rigor, investment discipline, and enterprise-scale technology leadership underpins Apex Catalytic’s ability to deliver solutions that work in the real world.
Translate credentials into
client value.
Traditional consultants often optimize within silos. Apex Catalytic sees across them.
Our research background enables us to rigorously test ideas and technologies under scrutiny. Our investment
experience separates scalable businesses from science projects. Our technology leadership ensures data, digital
tools, AI, and hard tech are deployed responsibly and effectively. And our engineering roots ensure every recommendation
is executable—designed to hold up under real-world constraints.
This integrated perspective allows us to move faster, reduce risk, and drive
sustainability outcomes that scale.
Selected Credentials
- Co-Founder & Former Head of Global Sustainability Practice | Salesforce
- Co-Head, Closed Loop Infrastructure Fund | Closed Loop Partners
- Researcher & Author of 20+ Peer-Reviewed Scientific Publications | Yale University
- Multiple-Time Founder
- Work featured on NPR, The New York Times, Associated Press, and more
Mission
To enable 10,000 sustainability professionals by 2030 through high-impact project work, Impact Ignition Workshops, and targeted speaking and knowledge-transfer engagements.
Vision
We believe sustainability challenges of this decade demand new ways of thinking, working, and collaborating—and we exist to help organizations rise to that challenge.
