S&R Foundation's Social Entrepreneurship Halcyon Incubator Announces Initial Partners and Advisory Committee

WASHINGTON, May 7, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Halcyon Incubator, a unique and forward-thinking incubator program designed to empower social change throughout the nation and the world, today introduced its initial group of partners and advisory committee members. The Incubator provides intrepid entrepreneurs with audacious ideas for social change the tools and resources to scale a sustainable social venture.

The Halcyon Incubator's partners and advisory committee, including prestigious organizations such as Georgetown University, Tandem Legal Group, WeWork, and Sage Communications, will provide critical resources and mentorship for the development of social startups. The Halcyon Incubator program is unique in that it provides all of the elements of success for its fellows, including rent-free housing and office space, complimentary strategic, legal and PR resources, mentorship, as well as access to a network of potential funders from all sectors, all without requiring equity in its fellows' ventures.  

"Our dynamic group of partners and advisors represents a comprehensive organizational cross-section of the business, government, academic and philanthropic communities," said Dr. Sachiko Kuno, President and CEO of S&R Foundation. "Each of these individuals and organizations are trailblazers in their own right and will provide our fellows with unrivaled insight, mentorship, inspiration, and assistance to help them build a successful foundation for their social ventures."

The members of the Halcyon Incubator's advisory committee and partners were selected for their entrepreneurial expertise, understanding of the social startup space, and specific knowledge in areas like marketing, law, business and government. The partners consists of:

Tandem Legal Group is a boutique law and business advisory firm providing full-service corporate representation and business advice to fast-growing companies. Tandem will provide guidance to the Incubator's fellows regarding early-stage finance, business negotiation, legal strategy, and other highly relevant legal topics for social ventures.

Georgetown University is developing principled leaders with a global mindset to be in service to business and society. The university staff and professors will be providing mentorship and educational training opportunities for the Incubator fellows.

Sage Communications is a full-service, integrated marketing communications firm that provides services to clients from across the street to across the globe, from emerging start-ups, to major Fortune 500 companies. Sage will be providing complementary public relations and marketing mentorship to the Incubator's fellows helping them create initial brands, messaging and public relations strategies.

WeWork empowers entrepreneurs and small businesses to succeed by providing beautiful workspace, a collaborative community, accessible services and benefits. Following completion of the Incubator program, fellows will be eligible to work out of the WeWork Wonder Bread Factory building in Washington, D.C. for six months at reduced rates.

"The Halcyon Fellows are going to have an amazing opportunity to jumpstart their ventures," said Michael McDevitt, CEO of Tandem Legal Group and a member of the Advisory Committee of Halcyon Incubator. "The partners and advisors for the Halcyon Incubator offer entrepreneurs trusted and proven resources for all types of knowledge, and we are all dedicated to seeing these ventures succeed."

The full advisory committee membership for the Halcyon Incubator consists of:

• Katherine Brittain Bradley, President, CityBridge Foundation
• Kahlil Byrd, CIO, Fund for the Republic
• Patrick Dowd, Founder & CEO, Millennial Trains Project
• Marina Gorbis, Executive Director, Institute for the Future (IFTF)
• David Gorodetski, COO/Executive Creative Director, Sage Communications
• Rachel Goslins, Executive Director, President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
• Jeanne Holm, Evangelist, Data.Gov
• Michael McDevitt, Co-Founder and CEO, Tandem Legal Group
• Erin Horne McKinney, Tech & Innovation Sector Manager, Government of the District of Columbia, Executive Office of the Mayor
• Jonathan Neman, Founder & Co-CEO, sweetgreen
• Carrie Rich, Co-Founder and CEO, The Global Good Fund
• Reshma Saujani, Founder, Girls Who Code
• Sonal Shah, Professor & Founding Executive Director, Beeck Center for Social Impact & Innovation (Georgetown University)
• Matt Shampine, Vice President of Strategy, WeWork

Tweet: Social incubator @HalcyonIncubate's advisory committee brings wealth of #socent experience to help fellows grow: http://ow.ly/wytoh

About Halcyon Incubator
The Halcyon Incubator was founded on the principle that intrepid individuals with transformative ideas can solve 21st century challenges. In an effort to empower social change, the Incubator supports fearless social entrepreneurs through a unique 12-month fellowship, comprised of a four-month residency of intensive education and networking programs, eight months of rent-free workspace, complimentary strategic, legal and PR support, mentorship, as well as access to a network of potential funders from all sectors. The Halcyon Incubator does not require equity in the fellow's venture, but only a commitment to growing ideas to achieve meaningful social outcomes. www.halcyonincubator.org @HalcyonIncubate www.facebook.com/halcyonincubator

About the S&R Foundation
S&R Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created in 2000 to support talented individuals with great potential and high aspirations in the arts, sciences and social entrepreneurship, especially those who are furthering international cultural collaboration. Contributions to S&R Foundation go directly to funding our mission. Overhead and general operational costs are covered by founders' contributions and use of existing assets. For more information, visit www.SandRFoundation.org.

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