Two careers. One pattern. One studio.

We kept arriving at the same diagnosis.

Andrew spent 14 years leading agile teams across software engineering, startups, venture capital, and nonprofits. Eric spent 20 years in corporate strategy, sales operations, and HR across higher education, nonprofits, and the private sector.

After years of crossing paths in the social impact space, we kept seeing the same thing: talented, motivated teams stuck because no one had ever intentionally designed how they worked together. Teams full of capable people, spinning on misaligned priorities, unclear ownership, and no shared rhythm for getting things done.

That felt worth fixing. So we built Catalyst Impact Studio.

Today we work with nonprofits, small businesses, and entrepreneurs to build the practical operating systems that help teams do their best work in an ever-changing world.

Headshot of Andrew Don

Andrew Don

Co-Founder

Andrew is a certified Scrum practitioner who built his career at the intersection of technology, agile systems, and social impact. Over 14 years he led agile teams across software engineering, startups, venture capital, and nonprofits, developing a sharp eye for why capable teams get stuck and what it actually takes to unstick them. He translates the best of agile methodology into practices that work for mission-driven organizations: practical, lightweight, and built for real conditions rather than ideal ones.

Headshot of Eric Wu

Eric Wu

Co-Founder

Eric spent 20 years in corporate strategy, sales operations, and HR before channeling that expertise into the social impact space. He has worked across higher education, nonprofits, and the private sector, and brings a systems thinker's clarity and an operator's pragmatism to every engagement. He connects dots other people miss, translates complexity into action, and keeps teams grounded in what actually matters.

What you can expect from us.

  • We explain the why behind every recommendation, not just the what.

  • We are direct about fit. If we are not the right move for your organization, we will say so.

  • We build your team's capability, not your dependence on us.

  • We measure success by what your team can do on its own when we are done.

  • We measure what actually changes, and we report it honestly. We would rather share a defensible finding than an overstated one.

  • Our programs are grounded in research on how lasting change happens. People don't change in isolation, and they don't change all at once, so we build in peer community and ongoing support.

Why Catalyst Impact Studio?

Catalyst: because we accelerate without taking over.

Impact: because we care about what actually changes, not just the quality of the engagement.

Studio: because the best work happens in a space built for experimentation, iteration, and getting it wrong before you get it right.