An edited product, not a feed.
Long-form features, designed pages, fact-checked science, real bylines. People come back because the work is good — not because an algorithm pushed it in front of them. Trust is the moat.
Sponsorship & partnerships
A magazine that already has readers. Now we’re building the company.
The Catalyst is the editorial home for student STEM journalism in Washington, D.C. — written by undergraduates at GW, Georgetown, Howard, and beyond. We’ve published the work, earned the readers, and proven we ship. Now we’re looking for sponsors, investors, and partners who want to help us turn an audience into a sustainable, ad-light, editorially serious media business.
Serious science writing, by the next generation.
Most student publications are class projects. We built ours like a real magazine — edited, designed, fact-checked — because that’s the only kind worth reading.
The Catalyst exists because the people best positioned to write about science — the students elbow-deep in the labs, the seminars, and the field work — almost never get a serious editorial home for it. Campus papers cover sports and tuition. National outlets cover discoveries after they’re old.
We sit in the gap. We pair student journalists with student researchers, run their drafts through real edits, and publish stories that actually move the conversation on campus and beyond.
Investing in The Catalyst isn’t just funding a magazine — it’s backing the next generation of science writers, editors, and product people in the city where so much of American science policy is shaped.
Six reasons The Catalyst is worth backing right now.
The right readers, in the right city.
University students, faculty, alumni, and parents across the D.C. metro — the exact audience recruiters, research labs, and STEM-adjacent brands pay a fortune to reach. We already have their attention.
Lean by design.
Founder-operated. Volunteer-run editorial. A modern stack we own end-to-end. Every dollar raised turns into a story, a designer, or a stipend — not into overhead.
Clear path to growth.
Newsletter, social, university partnerships, and a print run on the horizon. We’ve started in the city most ready for it — the model is designed to travel to other college towns once it’s proven.
Editorial integrity is the product.
We don’t take money that bends the work. Sponsored content is labeled. Coverage isn’t for sale. That discipline is exactly what gives a media brand long-term value — and protects yours when you back us.
The right moment.
AI is rewriting how science gets explained — and who gets to explain it. The publications that figure out how to use these tools without losing their voice will define the next decade of science media. We’re building to be one of them.
A sponsorship slot at the bottom of every story. Quiet, honest, lucrative.
Every dollar lands on the page.
40%
Editorial & reporting
Stipends for student writers, editors, and fact-checkers. Travel and reporting expenses for original stories.
25%
Design & production
Custom illustration, photography, and the design polish that makes the work feel worth your time.
20%
Audience & distribution
Newsletter platform, paid distribution to university audiences, conferences, and a planned print run.
15%
Tooling & operations
Hosting, the editorial CMS we’ve already built, legal & accounting — the unglamorous things that keep us shipping.
05 — Start a conversation
Let’s talk.
Tell us a little about you and we’ll be in touch within 48 hours — personally, from one of the founders.
- Sponsoring a story or our newsletter
- Writing a check — angel, advisory, or strategic
- Just curious about what we’re building
Prefer email · [email protected]
Thanks — we’ve got it.
Yair or Aidan will reply personally within 48 hours. In the meantime, feel free to email [email protected].