Image courtesy of Halcyon
Being accepted in Halcyon's social incubator is no easy feat. In the past, the organization has boasted acceptance rates that rival Ivy League universities. In spring 2017, the acceptance rate was 4 percent.
With good reason. Halcyon offers free room and board for five months, a living stipend, an 18-month program that lets founders focus on their ideas and access to Halcyon's wide network of professional investors and policy makers. Halcyon also doesn't take an equity stake in the ventures. In the startup world, that combination is rare.
Halcyon announced its next cohort of 10 fellows who will be starting the program in January 2018. Below is a list of the new fellows with descriptions from Halcyon's website.
- Dylan Lewis, co-founder of Conserve With Us— "Conserve With Us is a platform that allows people and communities to connect with critical land conservation projects and protect the places that matter to them."
- Ian Rinehart, co-founder of Conserve With Us— "Conserve With Us is a platform that allows people and communities to connect with critical land conservation projects and protect the places that matter to them."
- Roshawnna Novellus, founder and CEO of EnrichHER— "EnrichHER is a blockchain enabled platform created to provide funding, networking, and educational opportunities for the vastly-underserved women-led business community. EnrichHER uses an artificial intelligence based scoring algorithm to determine the payback score of our users. EnrichHER has three components: online courses, live conferences, and the debt-based funding portal."
- Erin Janklow, founder of Entrada— "Entrada is an employer-sponsored platform that teaches language to entry-level, service industry employees while they work. It provides employers a way to develop their staffs’ professional skills while simultaneously improving the customer experience. Entrada’s scientifically designed audio program and support tools enable graduates to become fully conversational in English in 100 lesson days."
- Ankit Agarwal, founder of Helpusgreen— "[Helpusgreen is] a social enterprise that has pioneered the flowercycling technology to preserve the Rivers Ganges from becoming a religious sewer by up-cycling the monumental temple-waste in Southern Asia."
- Ridhima Modi, finance and regulations head at Helpusgreen— "[Helpusgreen is] a social enterprise that has pioneered the flowercycling technology to preserve the Rivers Ganges from becoming a religious sewer by up-cycling the monumental temple-waste in Southern Asia."
- Ryan Soscia, founder & CEO of JDoe— "JDoe is the world’s first truly anonymous, end-to-end encrypted reporting platform for survivors of sexual assault, rape, and harassment. We connect mutual victims of repeat offenders directly to world-class personal injury attorneys in their area. JDoe generates a tremendous amount of emotional and practical strength for survivors."
- Ronit Avni, founder & CEO of Localized— "Localized connects students and aspiring professionals in emerging markets to global professionals who share language, roots and cultural context to access career guidance from people who get it. Piloting in Arabic and English, Localized was among 12 technology companies out of 500 selected to join the NYU accelerator, StartED."
- Yossuf Albanawi, co-founder and CEO of Pilleve— "Pilleve is an integrated pill bottle that helps care providers and insurance companies prevent the long-term costs associated with opioid abuse and addiction. Pilleve relies on real-time data to accurately monitor prescription intake, conduct behavioral analysis, educate patients, and connect them to a network of support. Through early intervention, Pilleve can help care providers make informed decisions about a patient's well-being, starting with their prescriptions."
- Gautam Sai Chebrolu, co-founder and CTO of Pilleve— "Pilleve is an integrated pill bottle that helps care providers and insurance companies prevent the long-term costs associated with opioid abuse and addiction. Pilleve relies on real-time data to accurately monitor prescription intake, conduct behavioral analysis, educate patients, and connect them to a network of support. Through early intervention, Pilleve can help care providers make informed decisions about a patient's well-being, starting with their prescriptions."
- Tony Weaver Jr., founder and CEO of Weird Enough Productions— "Weird Enough Productions is a media company that uses original content to teach middle and high school students media literacy. Their edtech platform, Get Media L.I.T., teaches students how to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media content, while also boosting traditional literacy and standardized test scores."
