Deadline: 28-Apr-23
Halcyon has announced the applications for Halcyon Food & Agtech in Africa Intensive Fellowship that is designed for entrepreneurs with innovative solutions that can improve the livelihoods of farmers while increasing access to quality food for the most vulnerable.
This fellowship is focusing on ventures disrupting the food and agriculture sectors. Thanks to their partners at Amazon Web Services, S&R Evermay and HR Sage, fellows will receive a host of workshops, access to advisors and mentors, and more! The programming will be delivered in a hybrid modality, with three virtual meetings, a one week in-person residency at Halcyon and a one week in-person residency in Nairobi.
Program Features
- A $5,000 USD per venture equity-free stipend to use toward travel expenses to attend the residencies
- One week long residency at Halcyon’s facilities in Georgetown, Washington, DC
- One week long residency in Nairobi with a culminating event featuring pitches from each venture and connections to investors, advisors, and media
- Free workshops focused on investment readiness training and connections with relevant impact investors
- Honing storytelling and pitching
- Access to pro bono legal support, skills development, and mentorship
- $25,000 USD in Amazon Cloud credits
- Join a community of over 300 impact driven entrepreneurs
Eligibility Criteria
- To be eligible for this fellowship, you:
- Must live in and/or have your venture based in any African Union country
- Applicant must be the CEO and/or hold primary decision-making power in the growth and strategic vision for the venture’s development and management
- Must be able to make a full-time commitment to work on the venture during the residency phases (August 21-25, 2023 in DC and November 13-17, 2023 in Nairobi)
- Must be able to attend monthly meetings and residency programming in-person in Washington, DC and Nairobi
- Must be fluent in English
- Must be at least 21 years of age by the start of the program
- May apply on your own or with up to one Co-Founder who meets the eligibility requirements.
- Must be willing to contribute to the growth and development of Halcyon’s fellow community
- Tentative Dates
- To be eligible for this fellowship, your venture:
- Must be an original idea of the applicant(s)
- Your venture must be in the food and/or agriculture sectors
- Must be at Minimal Viable Product (MVP) stage
- 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
- Must be a for-profit or hybrid venture with the core mission is to create measurable social and/or environmental change
- May not be a 501(c)(3) non-profit venture.
Selection 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 their 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? They 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.
For more information, visit Halcyon Food & Agtech in Africa Intensive Fellowship.