Overview
The Halcyon Climate Resilience and Food Security Program aims to empower African entrepreneurs by providing expert training, critical resources, and networking opportunities to enhance climate resilience and food security across the continent. Selected founders will benefit from a structured program that includes:
- A virtual kickoff meeting
- A one-week in-person residency in Nairobi, Kenya
- Monthly virtual meetings
- A one-week in-person residency in Washington, DC
Program Benefits
- $10,000 in Amazon Web Services (AWS) credits
- $5,000 stipend per venture
- Access to professional advisors
- Workshops on leadership development, investment readiness, and product-market fit
- Networking opportunities in Washington, DC, and Nairobi, Kenya, with investors and diverse stakeholders
- Membership in a global community of 500+ impact-driven entrepreneurs
Sectors of Focus
Solutions targeting climate resilience and food security, including but not limited to:
- Climate-smart agriculture and food systems
- WaterTech
- Blue economy
- Renewable energy
- Green building
- Climate data
Program Structure
- Cohort Selection: Up to 10 ventures based in and/or serving any African country or countries
- Training: Halcyon’s methodology on product-market fit, investment readiness, and leadership
- Deliverables: A virtual kickoff meeting, one-week residencies in Nairobi and Washington, DC, monthly virtual meetings
Timeline
- October 11, 2024: Applications close
- December 2024: Finalists invited to a virtual pitch
- January 2025: Selected fellows notified
- February 7, 2025 (tentative): Virtual program kickoff
- February 17-21, 2025: In-person residency in Nairobi, Kenya
- March 20, April 10, and May 8, 2025: Virtual meetings
- June 2-6, 2025: In-person residency in Washington, DC
Eligibility
- Location: Venture must be based in and/or serve any African country
- Stage: Must have a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) with scaling potential. Full-time commitment required.
- Team: Up to one co-founder; the applicant must be the CEO or hold primary decision-making power
- Language: Must be fluent in English
- Age: At least 21 years old by program start
- Program Engagement: Ability to participate in all activities and programming sessions
- Impact: Developing a product that contributes to one or more of the UN’s 17 SDGs
Selection Criteria
- Impact: Potential meaningful impact on society and/or the environment
- Scalability: Ability to reach hundreds of thousands or millions of users within 5-10 years
- Innovation: Novel approach to tackling the issue in the context
- Talent: Unique qualifications of the team to address the identified challenges
Ready to accelerate your venture with Halcyon? Visit the website for more details.
