FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 16, 2024
Contact: Coby Jones, Director of Communications

WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today, Halcyon announces the 2024 Future Builders cohort. The Future Builders Fellowship serves an amazing group of eight ventures led by Black women entrepreneurs solving the most pressing 21st-century challenges. These founders are revolutionizing sustainable fashion, building technology to ensure the inclusion of those with disabilities in the transportation industry, developing intersectional health solutions, and so much more. This program is made possible by the generosity of partners like Bank of America, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Goodwin.

Halcyon shows up in that critical moment where viability is proven and scalability is achievable, but where barriers could limit a business’s ability to last – even if that business has the potential to solve a massive global problem. To date, 75% of Halcyon founders identify as women or non-binary and 78% identify as a founder of color. In an environment where only 1.9% of women-led start-ups and only 1% of Black-led start-ups receive VC funding, Halcyon is paving the way for the next generation of impact-driven businesses with diverse and proven founders at the helm.

If you would like to speak to any fellow about their participation in the Future Builders Fellowship, please contact Coby Jones, Director of Communications, Halcyon at c.jones@halcyonhouse.org who can arrange interview time.

About the Fellows

Dana Fry

Dana Fry, a Los Angeles native and Registered Nurse Leader, dedicated her career to healthcare and community service. She founded Ujamaa Financial, an edtech startup focused on financial literacy for black, brown, and first-generation college students.

Adero Knott

Adero Knott is a congenital below-elbow amputee, tech entrepreneur, and disability advocate based in Chicago.  In 2023, she founded Safair™. Safair™ is an air travel accommodation platform, and workforce solution that utilizes the power of artificial intelligence to streamline accommodation requests, provide airlines with ADA compliant and trained staff, and ensures wheelchairs and assistive devices arrive intact upon arrival.

Alexandra Lewis

Alexandra Lewis is a first-generation American and a practicing physician, who possesses a profound understanding of the intricate challenges surrounding health care access for underserved minorities. She founded TRIALINGO, a tech-based service connecting non-native English-speaking cancer patients with clinical trial sponsors.

Leah Lewis

Dr. Leah Lewis J.D., is the Founder and CEO of Cocoon Technologies Inc., a software company that prioritizes the safety of all community members. They offer progressive and humane tech solutions to improve public safety and policing. Mindful of the stress faced by both civilians and law enforcement officers during face-to-face encounters, Cocoon Technologies is driven to foster safety and peace of mind. Our solutions move policing into the 21st century.

Kamilah Mantle

Kamilah Mantle, a native of New York City, has been driven by a lifelong passion to work with geriatric and elderly populations. This dedication to making a meaningful impact on the lives of older adults led Kamilah to embark on a remarkable journey and create EPICC Technologies.
For individuals with stroke, aphasia, head injury, and Alzheimer’s with cognitive and communication difficulties, EPICC offers a mobile app to enhance functional skills.

Kristeen Reynolds

Kristeen Reynolds is a servant leader who is determined to make an impact on the world. In an effort to help educate about the power of the circular economy through culturally significant endeavors, she co-founded DrinKicks. DrinKicks is a sneaker themed consumer packaged goods company that is focused on repurposing food waste and recycled materials into sustainable goods such as shoes, sports equipment, and clothing all while educating consumers on the power of the circular economy.

Lena Samuel

Dr. Lena S. Samuel is an accomplished global health physician leader and first generation American. She founded Samuel Health, a venture that closes the health equity gap by providing vital, expanded, accessible, primary care, maternal and mental health to the community through continuity care, digital health, and medical education to improve health outcomes while training its future physicians.

Nina Taylor

Nina Taylor spent two decades in service to medical professionals as an executive in continuing medical education with a special focus on psychiatry, oncology and infectious diseases. She founded the digital health company Merald.io in 2022 to improve access and mental health outcomes for the black community through telehealth and advance analytics.

About Halcyon

Halcyon accelerates the impact-driven future of business. We believe there’s a competitive advantage to having a social mission in your DNA, and that impact-driven businesses represent a powerful opportunity to drive equity and inclusivity in the workplace and society.

Halcyon is the community supporting impact-driven businesses and their founders through space, community, and access. Our programs offer fellowships for social entrepreneurs and funding vehicles to help them scale their ventures. www.halcyonhouse.org