Applications Invited for Halcyon Incubator Fellowship 2020

Halcyon Incubator Fellowship 2020:

The Halcyon Incubator is committed to solving 21st-century challenges throughout the nation and the world. By helping social entrepreneurs transform audacious ideas into scalable and sustainable ventures, the Halcyon Incubator acts as a catalyst for measurable social outcomes. It's perhaps the most immersive incubator in the world that focuses on both social impact and profit.

During this 18-month fellowship, a diverse cohort of fellows receives free residency and workspace, mentorship and leadership coaching, robust support from business consultants, and a living stipend to develop their entrepreneurial vision into reality.

The Halcyon Incubator program equips early-stage social entrepreneurs with the support they need to transform audacious ideas into scalable and sustainable ventures. They do this by providing three things: space, community, and access.

• Space - The Halcyon Incubator was founded to ensure that all social entrepreneurs, regardless of their economic background, can succeed. We give you physical and mental space, so you can focus more of your energy on your venture and achieving your full potential.
• Community - The journey of an entrepreneur is long and winding. You will experience many ups and downs, and we understand that you will need lots of support along the way. The Halcyon Incubator builds a community of support around Fellows through our unique residential program, extensive post-residency Fellow community, and a robust network of world-class mentors and advisors. These mentors and advisors are seasoned entrepreneurs, experienced change-makers, and leaders across sectors.
• Access - You need an ecosystem to build, grow, and sustain a social enterprise. The Halcyon Incubator connects entrepreneurs with key partners to advise and directly support Fellows’ ventures and provide crucial exposure.

What Halcyon expects from you:

You need to be able to fully commit to the program for five months if you want to be selected. The Halcyon Incubator is an intense, demanding, once in a lifetime opportunity for Fellows and their social enterprises. Participation in the Halcyon Incubator program is the right fit if:

The venture’s CEO or primary decision-maker can commit to full-time participation in the program before being selected as a finalist. Full-time participation includes:

• Living and/or working out of Halcyon in Washington, DC for the residency phase from September 8, 2020 to January 15, 2021
• Attending mandatory orientation (September 9-11, 2020) and kickoff event (September 17, 2020) at the beginning of the program
• Attending mandatory final showcase event (January 12, 2021) at the end of the residency phase
• The CEO or primary decision-maker working on the venture full time during the residency phase

The Fellow is committed to being an active member of the Halcyon community by:

• Traveling no more than three weeks during the residency phase
• Attending and participating in mandatory weekly programming including family breakfasts, pitch sessions, skill series, and mindfulness practice
• Positively contributing to our ecosystem and sharing your talents, expertise, and empathy with Fellows

The venture’s CEO or primary decision-maker can live and work in the United States during the residency phase because they:

• Already reside and/or work in the U.S.
• Do not have foreseeable barriers to obtaining a visa for the five-month residency phase (i.e., have not previously been denied a visa for entry into the U.S.)

Eligibility Requirements:

To be eligible for the Halcyon Incubator, you:

• Must be the CEO or primary decision-maker for the venture's development and management
• Must be able to make a full-time commitment to work on the venture during the residency phase from September 8, 2020 to January 15, 2021
• Must be able to postpone any undergraduate or graduate course work during the residency phase
• Must already live or work in the U.S. or be able to obtain a visa for the residency phase
• Must be fluent in English
• Must be at least 21 years of age by the start of the program

To be eligible for the Halcyon Incubator, your venture:

• Must be an original idea of the applicant(s)Must be in startup idea, MVP, or pilot phase
• Must have less than $500,000 annual revenue
• Must be an independent or autonomous venture that is not under the direction of an existing organization
• Must have plans for a sustainable business model to generate revenue by selling a core product or service
• Can be a for-profit, hybrid, or undecided venture, as long as the core mission is to create measurable social change
• Cannot be a 501(c)(3) non-profit venture
• Can apply with up to two Co-Founders who meet the above eligibility requirements.

Selection Criteria:

Applications are judged and selected based on the following six criteria:

• Impact: Successful applicants demonstrate a significant impact as a core part of their venture. They look for impact both in terms of how impactful the core product or service is, and how scalable is the model to spread this impact.
• Problem/Solution: Does your venture identify a real and pressing problem and propose a viable solution? Strong applications effectively and narrowly define a pain point and outline a solution that addresses the pain point.
• Sustainability: They’re looking for innovative social ventures that sell a core product or service to achieve impact.
• Execution: The application is our first introduction; get off on the right foot. Successful applicants have a big vision but also pay careful attention to detail.
• Innovation: How is your solution to a problem different from current solutions? What sets you apart? We value audacious ideas that disrupt the status quo and move the needle on 21st-century challenges. Think big!
• Talent: Do you have what it takes to lead your venture to success? Strong applicants exhibit characteristics of extraordinary leadership: vision, intelligence, resilience, and follow-through.

Selection Process:

Halcyon Incubator staff, Fellows, and the Selections Committee are responsible for reviewing your application and selecting the new Halcyon Incubator Fellows.

• Initial Review: After the application closes on April 8, 2020, Halcyon Incubator staff and Fellows will conduct an initial screening of each applicant, ensuring the application is complete, verifying credentials, evaluating the venture, and contacting references. The top applications will move on to the next stage in the Selection Process.
• Screening Calls: Top 32 semifinalist applicants will have a 5-minute screening call with a member of the incubator team to answer any questions about their application, venture, and ability to commit to the program.
• Pitch Day: Top 16 finalist applicants will be given 5 minutes to deliver a virtual pitch and 5 minutes to answers questions from members of the Selections Committee via a Zoom video conference on May 12, 2020. Pitch Day gives the Halcyon Incubator staff and the Selections Committee a chance to interact with finalists and learn more about each venture.
• Final Selection: After Pitch Day, members of the Selections Committee will select up to eight ventures for inclusion in the Halcyon Incubator program. Halcyon Incubator staff will convene to confirm the selections. Accepted Fellows will be notified of their selection by June 1, 2020.

Deadline: Wednesday, April 8, 2020 at 5PM EDT.

If you have any additional questions, please contact us at halcyonincubator@halcyonhouse.org.

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