Bio: Dan is the President and CEO of Halcyon, an accelerator and investor in early-stage, impact-driven startups from around the globe. Dan joined Halcyon from the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth where he was vice president focused on supporting cutting-edge research on financial inclusion and entrepreneurship. Prior to Mastercard, Dan was vice president for social impact at BlackRock. Dan first connected with Halcyon during his time as a management consultant at Deloitte where he advised corporate, multilateral, and nonprofit clients on social impact strategy. He began his career as a researcher at the Council on Foreign Relations and Earth Institute. He holds a master’s in international finance and economic policy from Columbia University and a BA from NYU. He serves on the advisory boards of Global Kids, Inc., the Guyana Economic Development Trust, and Ignite.E and is a judge for the Inclusive Fintech 50.

In his free time, Dan can be found in his kitchen working on an overly complex recipe or on his couch watching the latest episode of Chef’s Table.

Mercy manages the daily operations, design and implementation of Halcyon’s international programs, ensuring that founders have the resources that they need to thrive. Her passion is to mobilize people to transform and impact their own communities. She is a social innovator and organizer with a mission to broker partnerships to strategically address development challenges by enhancing development-focused organizational capacity in sub-Saharan Africa and mobilizing others to work towards African-led social impact in Africa.

Prior to Halcyon, Mercy worked as an international development and project management practitioner, with her field experience spanning Africa and the United States. In doing so, she leveraged her extensive experience to help build programs, policies, and processes that help organizations raise funds and improve program performance.

Mercy has a MPhil in Public Policy from Cape Town University in South Africa and a B.A. in International Development from Queen’s University in Canada.

As Capital Strategy & Investment Manager, Adam supports Halcyon fellows and alumni on their investment journey including fundraising strategy, network connections, and alternative financing options.

Previously, Adam managed Halcyon’s Residential Fellowships, leading curriculum development and redesigning the accelerator program to help founders working in Health, Climate, and EquityTech scale their ventures.

Adam got his start in impact investing at the Aga Khan Foundation, where he helped to create their first impact investment fund. He then led research initiatives at several global incubators and accelerators, mentoring founding teams and mobilizing investments for mission-driven startups in the US, South Asia, and East Africa.

Adam has a BA from Temple University and a Masters in International Business and Development Economics from The Fletcher School at Tufts University.

Outside of work, he loves spending time with his family, cooking, traveling, and attending as many concerts as possible.

Mala (she/her) serves as Halcyon’s Program Consultant based in Colombia, bringing her extensive experience in empowering and scaling social impact businesses worldwide to achieve their missions.

A strategic community builder and social entrepreneurship advisor with 10+ years of experience, Mala has developed and scaled social impact initiatives across Latin America, Europe, and Africa. She has designed entrepreneur support programs that have empowered hundreds of ventures globally, excelling at building collaborative ecosystems and facilitating cross-cultural partnerships.

Throughout her career catalyzing social impact, Mala has drawn from her experience as a founder as well as methodologies and lenses including Executive Coaching, Art of Hosting, Circular Economy Principles, and Doughnut Economics to create impactful resources like Impact Hub’s Issue-Based Ecosystem Playbook and her Impact Measurement workshop series, delivered to over 300 social entrepreneurs. This work reflects her commitment to building an extensive toolkit and network to best support social entrepreneurs.

In her free time, Mala can be found eating delicious food and dancing salsa.

At Halcyon, Marcelo (he/him) leads the strategy, design, and delivery of Halcyon’s accelerator fellowships. He has led global cohorts as well as programs in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Africa—building high-quality founder experiences, strengthening partnerships, and aligning curriculum, selections, and alumni support so impact-driven entrepreneurs can access capital, scale, and sustain measurable outcomes.

Before Halcyon, Marcelo worked with incubators and accelerator programs for startups in Brazil, helping develop knowledge-intensive businesses and connecting entrepreneurs with investors and global innovation ecosystems. He also served as a professor at Business Schools in the south of Brazil.

Marcelo holds a PhD in Business Administration from Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), where he also earned a BBA and a Master’s degree in Business Administration. He also holds a BA in Communications and an MBA in Marketing Intelligence from Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing (ESPM).

In his free time, Marcelo attempts to play guitar, walks with his dog Mac, and likes to share random trivia facts.

Alexis is a Senior Coordinator for Halcyon’s Alumni Portfolio & Community. She graduated magna cum laude from Colgate University with a major in Political Science and minor in Sociology.

Prior to Halcyon, Alexis has worked at a technology startup consulting company, a global commercial real estate firm, and volunteered at nonprofits in the DC area. Alexis is passionate about social entrepreneurship and enjoys hearing founders’ stories of change and innovation.

Outside of work, she is currently enrolled in a masters certificate program in Business Analytics and Revenue Management and enjoys learning new technologies.

Becca McAtee joins Halcyon with a background in fundraising and partnership development, most recently serving as Donor and Investor Relations Officer at Village Capital. In that role, she supported both fundraising and investment efforts, helping build relationships with individuals, foundations, and institutional partners to advance mission-driven work.

Throughout her career, Becca has focused on connecting people and resources to support meaningful community impact. She has held roles at organizations including Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network, United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, and the New York League of Conservation Voters, where she partnered with donors, nonprofits, and community leaders to help bring shared goals to life.

Becca holds a Master of Science in Fundraising Management from Columbia University and maintains CAP and CFRE certifications. She is based in New Jersey with her two elementary school–aged sons, and in her free time enjoys yoga, cooking, hiking, and live music.

Emily Owen is Program Manager and U.S. Programs Lead at Halcyon, where she designs and scales accelerator programs that support high-growth social impact ventures across climate, health, and equity technology. A founder and educator by background, Emily brings 15+ years of experience building entrepreneurial ecosystems, developing learning experiences, and aligning cross-sector partners to help innovators move from ideas to impact.

Before joining Halcyon, Emily founded Bibti, a technology venture focused on transportation safety, where she led product development, user research, team building, and early fundraising. She previously served as Interim Associate Director at Georgetown Venture Lab, supporting founders through venture development, storytelling, and growth, and has worked internationally across education, entrepreneurship, and community development initiatives in the U.S., Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

Emily holds a Master’s degree in Global Human Development from Georgetown University and brings a unique perspective at the intersection of education, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Her work centers on building the programs, partnerships, and communities that help mission-driven leaders turn bold ideas into sustainable impact.

Erna’s passion for using business principles to solve social and environmental issues brought her to Halcyon. She joined the team to expand the recruitment efforts of talented social entrepreneurs across the world and support their journey after the fellowship.

Before joining Halcyon’s team, she worked in the philanthropic sector managing corporate partnerships and working on CSR communication campaigns. She holds a master’s degree in social entrepreneurship from the University of Southern California and has worked as a business developer at a startup created at USC, which provides access to vital information for displaced people. She is particularly interested in ideas that support minorities & displaced people and provide them with opportunities to thrive.

She is originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina and has lived in five countries. She enjoys connecting with people from all walks of life and exploring new countries. In her spare time, you can find her creating digital art, reading thriller novels, playing tennis, and searching for new stand-up shows in D.C.