Entrepreneurs building businesses designed to create meaningful social, environmental or economic impact can now apply to Halcyon’s founder community through its new year-round open application process. Instead of waiting for a single annual application deadline, eligible ventures can submit an Eligibility Application at any time of the year and have their applications reviewed on a rolling basis.

The new application model is designed to make Halcyon’s founder selection process more accessible, flexible and open throughout the year. Rather than requiring every venture to apply directly to a specific fellowship at a fixed time, Halcyon has introduced a two-step application process that begins with a short eligibility application.

If a venture meets Halcyon’s criteria and a future fellowship is considered a suitable match, the venture may be invited to complete a more detailed Invitational Application.

For entrepreneurs developing solutions with the potential to generate positive impact at scale, this creates a pathway to be considered for future Halcyon fellowship opportunities without having to wait for a particular fellowship application window to open.

What Is the Halcyon Open Application?

The Halcyon Open Application is a year-round entry point for impact-driven ventures interested in becoming part of Halcyon’s founder community.

Under the updated process, entrepreneurs begin by completing a relatively short Eligibility Application. This first stage allows Halcyon to determine whether a venture is potentially suitable for its programmes.

The application asks applicants to provide information about areas such as

• The venture’s mission
• The stage of the venture
• Its impact focus
• The nature of the solution being developed
• The venture’s potential fit with Halcyon’s programmes

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, meaning entrepreneurs do not have to wait for one specific annual deadline to submit the first-stage application.

If the venture meets Halcyon’s eligibility criteria, its application can remain relevant for consideration when a fellowship opens that aligns with the venture.

How the New Halcyon Application Process Works

The application process consists of two main stages.

Step 1: Submit the Eligibility Application

The first step is an Eligibility Application, which is open throughout the year.

This initial application is designed to help Halcyon quickly assess whether a venture may be a suitable fit for its programmes.

Applicants will be asked basic questions about their venture, including its:

1. Mission
2. Development stage
3. Impact focus
4. General approach and solution
5. Potential fit with Halcyon’s programmes

The first stage is intentionally more accessible than a full fellowship application.

Once submitted, applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Important requirement: Apply only once.

Applicants should pay close attention to one important rule.

The Eligibility Application can only be submitted once.

Halcyon states that duplicate applications will be automatically rejected. Entrepreneurs should therefore make sure their first submission is accurate, complete and carefully prepared before submitting it.

This is particularly important because applicants should not treat the eligibility form as a preliminary form that can simply be resubmitted repeatedly with different information.

Step 2: The Invitational Application

The second stage is significantly more detailed and is available by invitation only.

If Halcyon determines that a venture meets its eligibility criteria and a relevant fellowship programme becomes available, the venture may receive an invitation to complete the second-stage application.

The Invitational Application gives Halcyon an opportunity to understand the venture in much greater depth.

Applicants can expect this stage to examine areas such as

• The founding team
• The innovation behind the venture
• The problem being addressed
• The venture’s impact
• Scalability
• Growth potential
• The founder’s vision
• The venture’s broader ambitions

Unlike the first-stage application, entrepreneurs cannot simply access the Invitational Application independently. It is reserved for ventures that have first been identified through the Eligibility Application process.

What Does Halcyon Look for in Applicants?

Halcyon states that its selection committee evaluates applications using four key criteria:

1. Impact

The first criterion is the potential of the venture to create meaningful positive impact.

Applicants should be able to clearly explain the problem they are addressing and why solving that problem matters.

A strong application should make it possible to understand:

• What challenge the venture is addressing
• Who is affected by the challenge
• How the venture’s solution responds to the problem
• What kind of positive change the venture seeks to create
• How the impact can potentially be demonstrated or measured

The impact component is particularly important because Halcyon’s founder community is centred on businesses seeking to generate positive influence.

2. Scalability

Halcyon also considers the potential for a venture to grow.

Scalability involves demonstrating that the solution has the potential to expand beyond its current size, market or initial group of beneficiaries.

Applicants should therefore think carefully about questions such as:

• Can the solution reach more people?
• Can the business expand into additional markets?
• What is the potential size of the problem being addressed?
• What barriers could limit expansion?
• What would growth look like over the next several years?

Entrepreneurs should present a realistic growth vision rather than simply stating that they intend to scale.

3. Innovation

Innovation is another central selection criterion.

Applicants should communicate what makes their approach different and why their solution offers a meaningful response to an existing challenge.

Innovation could relate to:

• The technology being developed
• The business model
• The delivery model
• The product or service
• The way an existing problem is being approached
• A new method of reaching underserved communities
• A new way of generating measurable impact

The key is to demonstrate what is distinctive about the venture and how that distinction contributes to solving the identified problem.

4. Talent

The fourth criterion is talent.

This allows the selection committee to assess the people behind the venture, including their ability, experience, ambition and potential to execute the proposed vision.

Entrepreneurs should therefore make their application about more than just the product.

The application should also demonstrate:

• Why the founders are equipped to address the problem
• What relevant experience the team possesses
• What the founders have already accomplished
• How the team complements one another
• Why the founders are committed to the venture
• Why they have the ambition to grow the solution

Pitch Deck Is Now Required

One of the most important changes highlighted in the application information is that applicants are now required to upload a pitch deck of up to 15 slides.

This means entrepreneurs should prepare a clear and professionally structured pitch deck before submitting their application.

A strong pitch deck can help communicate the venture’s story in a way that is easy for the selection committee to understand.

While the specific content can vary depending on the venture, entrepreneurs may consider using their pitch deck to clearly present:

1. The problem
2. The target population or market
3. The proposed solution
4. How the solution works
5. The innovation behind the approach
6. The business or operating model
7. Evidence of traction
8. Impact achieved so far
9. Growth and scalability potential
10. Market opportunity
11. Competitive landscape
12. Team and relevant expertise
13. Future growth strategy
14. Financial or business milestones
15. The long-term vision

Applicants should ensure that every slide adds useful information and supports the overall story of the venture.

Because the limit is 15 slides, entrepreneurs should avoid filling the presentation with excessive text.

The strongest deck structure is generally one in which the problem, solution, impact, traction, team and future opportunity can be understood quickly.

Optional One-Minute Video

In addition to the required pitch deck, applicants may also upload a one-minute video describing their venture.

Although the video is optional, it can provide an opportunity to communicate elements that may be difficult to convey through written answers alone.

The video can help founders demonstrate:

• Their passion for the problem they are solving
• Their vision for the venture
• Their ability to communicate clearly
• The human story behind the business
• Why the problem matters
• Why they are committed to creating positive impact

A one-minute video should remain focused.

Rather than attempting to explain every detail of the business, founders can use the limited time to communicate the core problem, the solution, the impact and their vision.

Why the Year-Round Application Matters

One of the biggest changes in Halcyon’s process is the move away from a traditional fixed application cycle for the initial eligibility stage.

Previously, entrepreneurs might have had to wait for a particular fellowship application to open before submitting their venture for consideration.

The new model allows founders to submit the Eligibility Application at any time during the year.

This means entrepreneurs can begin the process when they are ready rather than waiting for a specific fellowship deadline.

It also allows Halcyon to connect eligible ventures with future fellowships that are relevant to their areas of work.

For founders developing impact-driven businesses, this can make the application process more flexible.

There Is No Fixed Annual Deadline for Step 1

Unlike many fellowship and accelerator opportunities, the Halcyon Eligibility Application does not have a single annual deadline.

The application is described as being open year-round, with submissions reviewed on a rolling basis.

Therefore, the opportunity is particularly useful for founders who may not currently be ready for a particular fellowship but want their venture to be considered for future programmes.

However, applicants should understand the distinction between the two stages:

• Step 1: Open year-round
• Step 2: Opens only by invitation when an aligned fellowship becomes available

The absence of a fixed deadline for Step 1 does not mean that every venture will automatically progress to Step 2.

What Happens If Your Venture Is Not Selected?

Halcyon’s process also provides an important clarification for applicants.

If a venture is not selected during the Eligibility Application stage, Halcyon indicates that the venture is not considered a fit for any of its fellowships based on the eligibility assessment.

This makes the first-stage application an important screening process rather than simply a registration form.

Entrepreneurs should therefore take time to understand Halcyon’s eligibility requirements before submitting their application.

Who Should Consider Applying?

The Halcyon Open Application is designed for founders and ventures, rather than individual applicants seeking traditional educational scholarships or employment opportunities.

It is particularly relevant to entrepreneurs who are developing businesses or solutions with a clear impact mission.

Potential applicants may include founders working on solutions related to areas such as

• Climate
• Health
• Equity
• Social innovation
• Environmental sustainability
• Technology for positive impact
• Economic inclusion
• Community development
• Other significant social or environmental challenges

The exact areas of focus can depend on the fellowship programme that becomes available.

Halcyon’s past programming has included ventures from multiple countries and regions. For example, its 2024 Climate Fellowship received applications from 69 countries across all continents except Antarctica, demonstrating the international reach of its fellowship programming.

However, applicants should distinguish this historical cohort information from the eligibility requirements of a specific future fellowship.

How to Prepare a Strong Halcyon Application

Entrepreneurs interested in applying should begin preparing well before submitting their Eligibility Application.

1. Clearly define the problem.

Start by identifying the specific problem the venture is addressing.

Avoid using broad statements that do not demonstrate the scale or nature of the problem.

Instead, explain:

• What the problem is
• Who experiences it
• Why existing approaches are insufficient
• How significant the problem is
• What evidence demonstrates the need for your solution

2. Explain your solution clearly.

The selection committee needs to understand what the venture actually does.

Explain the product, service, technology or business model in straightforward language.

Avoid unnecessary technical terminology unless it is essential to understanding the innovation.

3. Demonstrate impact

Since impact is one of Halcyon’s four stated selection criteria, founders should provide evidence where possible.

Examples could include:

• Number of people reached
• Communities served
• Revenue generated while delivering impact
• Environmental outcomes
• Health outcomes
• Educational outcomes
• Jobs created
• Improvements in access or affordability
• Partnerships established
• Other measurable results

4. Demonstrate traction

If the venture is already operating, provide evidence showing what has been achieved.

This could include:

• Customers
• Users
• Revenue
• Partnerships
• Pilot programmes
• Contracts
• Product launches
• Geographic expansion
• Investment
• Awards
• Measurable impact

Founders at an earlier stage should explain what has already been validated and what evidence supports the business model.

5. Explain the innovation.

Don’t simply describe the venture as innovative.

Explain why it is innovative.

Identify the specific element that distinguishes the venture from existing solutions.

6. Demonstrate scalability

Explain what growth could look like.

Applicants should show that they have thought about:

• Market size
• Customer growth
• Geographic expansion
• Operational capacity
• Partnerships
• Technology
• Funding requirements
• Team growth
• Potential barriers to expansion

7. Introduce the founding team.

Use the application and pitch deck to explain why the team is capable of executing the vision.

Highlight relevant:

• Professional experience
• Technical skills
• Entrepreneurial experience
• Industry knowledge
• Community experience
• Previous achievements

8. Prepare the pitch deck carefully.

Because the pitch deck is now required and is limited to 15 slides, founders should make every slide purposeful.

The deck should tell a coherent story rather than functioning as a collection of unrelated information.

9. Consider adding the one-minute video.

The optional video can add personality to the application and allow founders to communicate their motivation directly.

Keep it concise, authentic and focused on the venture.

10. Submit only once.

Because duplicate Eligibility Applications are automatically rejected, founders should carefully review their information before pressing submit.

Check:

• Spelling
• Contact information
• Venture information
• Impact figures
• Links
• Pitch deck
• Supporting information
• Consistency between the application and pitch deck

Halcyon Open Application: Key Information

Application Process at a Glance

Entrepreneurs can follow these steps:

Step 1: Review eligibility

Before submitting anything, review Halcyon’s eligibility requirements and determine whether your venture fits the organisation’s programmes.

Step 2: Prepare your venture information

Gather information about:

• Your mission
• Venture stage
• Impact
• Innovation
• Scalability
• Founding team
• Vision

Step 3: Prepare your pitch deck.

Create a pitch deck of no more than 15 slides, as required by the current application process.

Step 4: Consider recording the optional video

Prepare a one-minute video that introduces the venture and communicates the founders’ passion and vision.

Step 5: Submit the Eligibility Application

Submit the first-stage application through Halcyon’s application platform.

Remember that the Eligibility Application can only be submitted once.

Step 6: Wait for the rolling review

Halcyon reviews Eligibility Applications on a rolling basis.

Step 7: Await a potential invitation

If the venture meets the criteria and a suitable fellowship opens, Halcyon may invite the founder to complete the more detailed Invitational Application.

Step 8: Complete the Invitational Application

If invited, provide more detailed information about the venture, team, innovation, scalability, impact and vision.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Halcyon Open Application have a deadline?

There is no fixed deadline stated for the Eligibility Application. The application is open year-round and reviewed on a rolling basis.

However, individual fellowship programmes may have their own application windows and requirements.

Can I apply more than once?

No. Halcyon states that the Eligibility Application can only be submitted once. Duplicate applications are automatically rejected.

Is the second application open to everyone?

No. The second-stage Invitational Application is by invitation only.

Is a pitch deck required?

Yes. The current application information states that applicants are required to upload a pitch deck of up to 15 slides.

Is the one-minute video mandatory?

No. The one-minute video is optional.

What does Halcyon look for?

The selection committee evaluates applications using four criteria: Impact, Scalability, Innovation and Talent.

Is this an individual scholarship?

No. This opportunity is designed for entrepreneurs and impact-driven ventures seeking consideration for Halcyon’s fellowship programmes.

Can international founders apply?

Halcyon’s fellowship programming has demonstrated an international reach, including applicants and fellows from numerous countries. However, eligibility can vary by specific fellowship, so founders should check the requirements for the fellowship to which they are ultimately invited. Halcyon’s 2024 Climate Fellowship, for example, received applications from 69 countries across all continents except Antarctica.

APPLY HERE

How to Apply for the Halcyon Open Application

Entrepreneurs interested in being considered for Halcyon’s founder community can begin with the Eligibility Application, which is available year-round.

Official application platform:
Halcyon Open Application

Applicants should also review Halcyon’s eligibility requirements before submitting the application:

The official application information should be checked carefully because requirements may differ depending on the specific fellowship programme for which a venture is eventually considered.

Visit HERE for more information about the Halcyon Open Application 2026.

Conclusion

The Halcyon Open Application provides impact-driven entrepreneurs with a flexible way to introduce their ventures to Halcyon throughout the year. Rather than requiring founders to wait for a specific annual application window, Halcyon has introduced a two-step model beginning with an Eligibility Application that remains open year-round.

The first stage focuses on determining whether a venture is a potential fit based on its mission, stage and impact focus. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, while ventures that meet the criteria may later be invited to complete a more comprehensive application when an appropriate fellowship becomes available.

Applicants should pay particular attention to Halcyon’s four selection criteria: Impact, Scalability, Innovation and Talent. The current process also requires applicants to submit a pitch deck of up to 15 slides, while a one-minute video may be included as an optional way to communicate the venture’s story and the founders’ vision.

There is no fixed deadline for the year-round Eligibility Application, but applicants should remember that the application can only be submitted once and duplicate submissions are automatically rejected.

For entrepreneurs building businesses intended to address significant social, environmental or other impact challenges, the application provides a route into consideration for Halcyon’s future fellowship opportunities. Because specific fellowships can have different requirements, applicants should review the applicable eligibility conditions carefully and ensure that their venture’s mission, stage and impact align with the programme for which they may ultimately be considered.

For more global Fellowship opportunities, visit OFY HERE.