Halcyon (Halcyon Accelerator / Fellowship Program) is a Washington, D.C.–based nonprofit accelerator and incubator supporting impact-driven founders in Climate, Health, and EquityTech through tailored fellowship programs that combine community, mentorship, training, and capital strategy support. It also has associated investment vehicles (Halcyon Fund, Halcyon Angels) to back ventures once they’re ready for financing. 

Specific Funding Stage
Pre-Seed / Seed Support: Halcyon helps early-stage impact founders refine product-market fit, leadership, and capital strategy as part of its fellowship model.
Early Institutional: Through associated funding arms (Halcyon Fund, Halcyon Angels), Halcyon may support startups with early growth capital once they’re investment-ready. 

Investment Amount and Percentage Equity (Company-Level)
Typical Capital Support:
• Fellowships provide stipends and support, not traditional venture checks — for example, the EquityTech Fellowship offers a $6,000 equity-free stipend per venture, AWS credits, and program resources.
Equity Taken:
• Halcyon’s fellowship/incubator programs do not take equity from participating ventures. This has been a consistent model throughout Halcyon’s history — no ownership is exchanged for program participation.
• When investment does occur, it is through separate vehicles that founders must opt into:
– Halcyon Fund (a $5M fund closed in 2022) has made initial investments averaging around $100,000 in select ventures that have completed Halcyon programming.
– Halcyon Angels is an angel network that can invest in Halcyon fellows and other impact startups.
• Equity stakes from these investment vehicles are negotiated per deal — there is no single fixed “X% for all” equity policy published (standard for VC/angel models). Founders will negotiate terms like valuation and investor ownership with Halcyon Fund or Halcyon Angels when those entities decide to invest.

Equity Structure:
• For fellowship participation: no equity taken; founders retain full ownership during and after the program.
• For Halcyon Fund / Angels investment: terms (ownership %, valuation) are negotiated on a deal-by-deal basis between founder and investor (typical early-stage VC/angel practice, not stipulated by the fellowship). 

Application / Submission Method
Submission Method: Apply via Halcyon’s online application portal when fellowship calls open; selection criteria include impact, scalability, innovation, and team strength. 
Cohort Size: Typically ~10 ventures selected per program. 
Eligibility Criteria: Founders must work full-time on their ventures and align with the focus areas (Climate, Health, EquityTech). 

Sector Focus: Climate, Health, EquityTech (solutions addressing climate change resilience, community health, and equitable systems). 
 Geography: Global — founders from around the world are eligible, but programs include U.S. residencies. 
 Stage: Early startups with a product or venture ready for structured acceleration and capital planning. 

Initial Screening: Review of application for impact metrics, business model, and alignment with Halcyon’s mission. 

Selection: Invitations extended for virtual pitches/interviews as needed. 

Program Participation: Hybrid fellowship with residency weeks, virtual sessions, mentorship, and networking. 

Investor Readiness: Training on capital strategy, and access to Halcyon’s investor network (investment optional).

Strategic Support: Intensive programming in product-market fit, leadership, and capital strategy.
 Equity-Free Stipends: Direct stipends (e.g., $6,000) and technical credits that founders keep without giving up ownership. 
Ecosystem Access: Network of investors, mentors, and impact founders; lifetime community access. 
Potential Investment: Opportunity to raise capital through Halcyon Fund and Halcyon Angels once venture is ready (terms negotiated separately).