A growth studio built for edtech.
Catalyst Creatives is a growth marketing, web design and AI automation agency for edtech, alternative education and career platforms. We were founded by an operator who ran marketing inside these companies first, which is why the work starts from how people actually decide to enrol rather than from a generic campaign template.
1.6M
Organic views on one Instagram page
Five months of work on a single Instagram page that started with 500 followers. Fully organic, with no ad spend behind it.
330K
Interactions on that same page
Likes, comments, shares and saves on the same page over the same five months, from the same 500 follower starting point.
800K+
Subscribers on one YouTube channel
One channel, where we manage content production, editing, titles and descriptions.
200K+
Subscribers on one newsletter
A single newsletter, managed end to end rather than a combined list across several.
All organic numbers.
What we do
Three services, run as one function rather than three separate vendors. Growth marketing is the lead service: strategy, content systems, social campaigns and SEO, built to turn attention into enrolments and signups.
Design and brand identity covers conversion-focused websites and landing pages, Webflow and WordPress builds, and the visual system around them. AI automation removes the manual steps a small team is quietly absorbing.
Everything is billed at one flat rate of $50 an hour, with a $1,500 monthly minimum, so budget can move between the three as the month demands. We take on a small number of clients a year and own growth end to end.
Who we work with
Edtech startups and scale-ups, career accelerator platforms, coding bootcamps, upskilling and professional development programs, and alternative education companies.
Typically 5 to 50 people, pre-seed through Series B, working with founders, CMOs, heads of growth and product leads.
The work has also gone further afield: venture-backed startups, government platforms and creator businesses across the US, UK and Australia. Education and career products remain the focus, and the place where the category knowledge is worth paying for.
What we believe
Most growth problems are not growth problems
When acquisition is broken, the instinct is to add channels. Usually the real issue is that the thing being sold is not clear yet.
If it dies when we leave, we built the wrong thing
Every engagement should end with your team owning something that keeps running without us in the room.
The hardest part is choosing what not to do
Most teams are not short on ideas. They are running six things at forty percent.
The team
Small on purpose. The people you meet are the people who do the work.
Waris Hussain
Founder
I'm Waris, the driving force behind Catalyst Creatives. My journey combines design innovation with a passion for edtech and career development platforms.
As a Product Designer and Digital Marketer, I thrive on helping career-focused platforms engage and retain users through thoughtful design, strategic marketing and AI automations to help scale efficiently while maintaining personalized learning experiences.
On the side, I write “The Startup Career Compass,” a newsletter for emerging career builders.
Visit personal website
Tarannum Khan
Chief of Content
I'm Tara, a content marketer and creative generalist who transforms ideas into stories that engage, connect, and convert.
With years of hands-on experience across SEO, content strategy, social media management, and podcast editing, I help brands build meaningful communities and speak with clarity. I bring both heart and strategy to every project, blending storytelling with smart execution to make growth feel good.
Visit personal websiteAnd some amazing contractors
Editors, designers, writers and video specialists we bring in by name for the specific thing each of them is best at. They are not a bench of interchangeable hands: the same people come back project after project, they know how we work, and a good deal of what ships is theirs.
Case studies with outcomes are on the projects page. The full reference on services, pricing and results is on agency information.