Halcyon's DMV climate fellows learn about financials, the power of a network and how to deal with Trump policies

Technical.ly

21-05-2025

A global incubator from DC went local in its latest programming for climate startups, and helped founders find ways to manage fluctuating policies from the Trump administration.
Halcyon, based in Georgetown, wrapped its DMV Climate Fellowship in mid-May. The program attracted firms developing hardware and software from across DC, Maryland and Virginia, and stretched beyond the suburbs into Baltimore and the Eastern Shore.
When Halcyon called for applications to this fellowship in 2024, it was a 'very different world that we were living in' compared to when the program began in late January, explained Mercy Erhiawarien, the senior manager of intensives. Many of the founders reaped benefits from former President Joe Biden's stance and policy related to climate, she said.
Part of Erhiawarien's job involved finding ways to pivot some programming to address the Trump administration's dismantling of climate programs, including rolling back Environmental Protection Agency regulations and enacting massive cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
'We like to joke at Halcyon that one of our values is being nimble and taking risks,' Erhiawarien told Technical.ly. 'We had to very quickly think, 'How can we bring resources to bear to address the situation at hand?''
That pivot included a panel for the fellows about navigating new policies, how to be flexible, and ways to find funding sources outside the federal government.
That aspect of the program was helpful to Krisztina Christmon, the cofounder and CEO of Repurpose Farm Plastic. Through her company, headquartered on the Eastern Shore, she's developing a machine to clean the plastic that farmers use in fields for controlling soil temperature or mitigating weeds. The hardware doesn't use water, as well, and is portable enough to go straight into farmers' fields.
She planned to rely on steel and aluminum imports to manufacture the machines she's developing, but tariffs took that option off the table. She's now looking at manufacturing in the US, and mentors and programming from the fellowship have been key in figuring out that change, she said.
It's also helped to commiserate with fellow climate tech founders about the federal shakeups and chaos.
'We weren't alone. We were together to live this through,' Christmon said. 'Just rethinking this, this whole new era that we all entered.'
Fellows learn financials, network — and teach one another
Outside of pivoting to address federal government disarray, Halcyon's Erhiawarien surveyed fellows at the program's start to gauge what founders most needed.
In addition, this and many of Halcyon's other fellowships revolve around three main pillars: leadership, investment readiness and product-market fit.
Christmon learned about more than dealing with a volatile presidential administration. This fellowship was the first time a mentor helped her with her business model and finances.
She also feels a lot more connected to the local ecosystem because part of the fellowship included going to events in the DC region.
Taein Lee, cofounder of the sustainable construction materials startup JJ Innovative Materials, agrees. He's based in Baltimore and hasn't been able to make connections in DC as much as he'd like to.
Through Halcyon, he got to speak about his startup on a panel at the inaugural DC Climate Week this spring. Lee founded JJ Innovative Materials shortly after a pipe burst in his bathroom during a cold winter. The whole ceiling came down with the drywall and insulation, he said.
'I realized that's so much waste, and this is actually so much volume of material,' Lee told Technical.ly. 'If we can make this into a climate-friendly, innovative application, then maybe we could do something interesting.'
Fellows also learned a lot from one another. WeatherDeep's founder Ashton Robinson Cook developed machine learning technology to predict tropical cyclone landfalls across the Gulf Coast and the Gulf Stream.
He felt encouraged to apply because he saw several founders from underrepresented backgrounds in previous programs. After getting in, he also found comfort in confronting similar challenges to his peers, like funding.
'Just brilliant people working on incredibly important problems,' Cook told Technical.ly, 'to try to make things better for mankind across the board.'
A call to support local founders, impact-driven startups
This is not the first time Halcyon, an organization bringing in founders from across the globe, has hosted a local program — though it is the first climate-focused local program, per Erhiawarien.
While she could not share plans for a future local fellowship, Halcyon has hosted intensives for founders in the region prior to this program.
Erhiawarien wants to see more programming and support for founders in DC proper, she said. There are great new initiatives like DC Climate Week, but more work needs to be done. That includes more support from the DC government for startups outside of small business resources.
That'll make way for more impact-driven startups in the area, which Halcyon focuses on supporting.
'We need to continue to keep impact at the core of good business,' Erhiawarien said, adding: 'It seems like we are in a time and in an era where it's really all about grabbing as many dollars as you can get, but all of that will fall if there is not something more substantial behind it.'