Efficient transformation of renewable energy resources (such as solar, wind, tidal) to readily usable energy forms is the crucial step for sustainable, carbon-neutral energy infrastructure. This energy conversion process can be simplified by storing them in the form of chemical bonds. Various small molecules like H2, O2, water, CO2 have emerged as the leading candidates for this role of energy vectors. Each of these small molecule activation reactions require catalysts to proceed the reactions forward despite the theoretical simplicity. In our group, we develop synthetic molecular complexes that can efficiently catalyze such small molecule activation reactions. The structural blueprint of metalloenzymes is the inspiration for our catalyst design. Here, we incorporate enzymatic outer coordination sphere (OCS) by strategically positioning protic groups in the periphery of a synthetic metal-core. Incorporation of this artificial OCS functionalities not only improves the catalytic efficiency of the molecular catalysts but also widens their activity to otherwise uncharted chemical conditions. In this talk, we will narrate our hypothesis with an example of cobalt-(dimethylglyoxime)2 complex (also known as cobaloxime). This cobalt core is typically inactive for H2 production and water-insoluble. Inclusion of an axial pyridine ligand induces aqueous H2 evolution reaction (HER) activity in near-neutral conditions (pH 5-7). We included enzyme-inspired OCS feature in the form of a multi-component proton relay around the axial pyridine ligand. The presence of this biomimetic OCS feature improved the catalytic HER by ~ 10 times while improving its reactivity even in acidic conditions. Complementary two-dimensional NMR experiments supports a dynamic proton exchange between the peripheral basic groups, primarily coordinated oximes, and precisely positioned water molecules. Single-crystal X-ray structures of complexes further corroborated the existence of this interactive proton channel. Proper incorporation of similar OCS features have even induced catalytic HER activity into an otherwise dormant cobalt-salen type of complexes in aqueous solution. These results highlight the importance of considering the structural traits of the enzymes during the designing of highly active and robust synthetic catalysts.