Letter from Jerilyn
Dear Changemakers,
My name is Jerilyn and I'm thrilled that you're here!
Kalo Catalyst is my endeavor to bridge capital with meaningful impact across health, energy, agriculture, and inclusion. This journey began with a personal wake-up call — my father’s lung cancer diagnosis in 2012, likely exacerbated by China’s poor air quality. That experience revealed the deep interconnections between human health, environmental sustainability, and economic development — and has shaped my work ever since.
As a fourth-generation member of an Asian business family, and its first female operating member, I grew up with stories of constant change — war, migration, disruption, failure, and starting over. Each generation faced a different kind of volatility, yet found ways to adapt and continue. That resilience, and the perspective it gives on capital and legacy, informs everything I’m building through Kalo Catalyst.
Raised across Southeast Asia, China, and the United States, I developed a global perspective on climate, health, and development. After earning a degree in Geography and Sustainable Design from UC Berkeley, I led sustainability and entrepreneurship initiatives at Chulalongkorn University before transitioning into healthcare innovation — managing startup operations and clinical research at organizations including Cohere Health, Talkspace, and Mass General Brigham.
In 2024, I began angel investing in healthcare and agriculture startups. Along the way, I saw how traditional venture capital often overlooks high-impact, locally grounded efforts — especially those that don’t fit conventional growth models. That realization led me to rebrand JLT Ventures as Kalo Catalyst in 2025, expanding from early-stage investing into a broader advisory lens. Kalo was created to explore how flexible forms of capital can better support outcomes in climate, health, and equity.
Currently, new activity at Kalo is paused while I focus on helping an anchor client navigate ongoing geopolitical complexity. Though this work sits outside the traditional impact space, it continues to deepen my understanding of how private wealth supports — and often fails to support — sustainable impact. My long-term mission remains the same: to bridge capital and impact to the best of my ability.
If you’re working on something meaningful, I’d love to connect.
Warmly,
Jerilyn Wu (吴家玲）
Founder, Kalo Catalyst
