Meet the latest globally-reaching grads of Halcyon’s incubator program

After five months of the DC experience, fellows at Georgetown social impact incubator Halcyon are ready to move the tassel and take their next steps in the startup world.

The seven fellows in the incubator’s 16th cohort recently presented their final pitch at the organization’s showcase last week. The program offers fellows like these five months of free housing and workspace at Halcyon’s DC headquarters. They also get access to leadership coaching, pro bono legal support and consulting, an individual mentor and a $10,000 stipend. At the end of the five months, they participate in a final showcase before partners, mentors and potential investors.

Following the initial programming, the fellows have free access to Halcyon’s workspace for 13 months and continued resources to connect with the local network — and, hopefully, secure additional funding. Halcyon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the founders had received any investment offers following this year’s showcase.

Daniel Barker, who joined the team earlier this year as Halcyon’s managing director, said in his introduction that this class of fellows has been huge for his own learning experience.

“These fellows have taught me what [creating a community] looks like and the serendipity that happens here, where you can run into a secretary of state or former DC mayor or an amazing entrepreneur who has made it big in the retail industry,” Barker said at the event. “It’s been an amazing experience for me to watch the growth of these entrepreneurs and to see how every piece of the puzzle comes together to help them on their mission to scale.”

Here are Cohort 16’s fellows, whose pitch-filled showcase you can catch in the video below:

• BezoMoney Technologies Limited: Founded by Mubarak Sumaila, this Ghanaian fintech company provides financial services for unbanked and underbanked individuals.
• Coils to Locs: Pamela Shaddock founded the Massachusetts company, which distributes coily and curly wigs directly to hospital patients.
• ENROOT Agricultural Management: This Atlanta, Georgia-based startup, founded by Jeffrey Martín, is a farmer-owned real estate coop for farmers to grow through vertical farming.
• The New Norm: Founder Lauren Choi created the company to turn plastics into sustainable fabric.
• Uniphage: Founded by Sofia Sigal-Passeck, the Houston, Texas startup is creating efficient, safe and potentially organic antifungal and antibacterial drugs for plants.
• Trestle Labs: This startup, based in Karnataka, India, created assistive technology for those who are blind or visually impaired. Founders Akshita Sachdeva and Bonny Dave created the technology, which can listen to, translate and digitize printed, handwritten and digital content in over 60 languages.
• MEDU Protection: Mexico City-based founder Tamara Chayo Romo hopes to disrupt the medical industry with MEDU, which developed sustainable medical apparel that can be recycled easily.