September 2021
This summer, I had the grand opportunity to spend a month as an intern for the Halcyon Incubator, during which I was fortunate enough to see through two intensive residencies – the 2021 Opportunity Intensive and the 2021 Bahrain Women’s Intensive. Though short, my time at Halcyon was one full of knowledge and wisdom including, and beyond, that of entrepreneurship, no less extensive than the house itself; the house being quite the notable size.
My first impressions of Halcyon were in the demeanors and interaction between Halcyon team members. There was a clear, and successful, effort made by the staff to be welcoming, that I would witness twice more as fellows came in. This, combined with each team member’s charismatic nature, made for an incredibly warm and fulfilling environment from day one. There is a unique element to the climate that the Halcyon team upholds, in that there is a consistent underlying tone of reliability. This is not just to say that the team is capable. Rather, it’s the observation that even in times of greater uncertainty, never, does the confidence that a said problem will be appropriately addressed and handled diminish. Just as I find the Halcyon team to be role models, I must imagine that the Halcyon Fellows find the same.
In my view, it would be inaccurate to claim that Halcyon views fellows solely as a representative of their business. Fundamentally, the Incubator programs target the fellows in such a way that addresses a full range of individual needs. I found this approach to be human and relatable. This practice of addressing needs beyond that of business logistics was reflected in the attitudes of fellows as they willingly and urgently volunteered to support each other. Witnessing these sincere offers of aid led me to be convinced in the existence of the Halcyon family.
One popular phrase at Halcyon is “Once family, always family,” referring, of course, to the greater Halcyon community. In my month spent, I could be no more convinced that this is precisely the case. The value of resourcefulness and the importance of learning to rely on connections was one of many lessons that I learned at Halcyon.