Ottawa’s student-run startup, Win-Win Homesharing, chosen to be Halcyon Incubator Fellows

Dec. 18 2019 

Washington, D.C. – Ottawa’s student-run startup, Win-Win Homesharing, announced today they are one-of-eight ventures chosen to be Halcyon Incubator Fellows.

The team will be moving from Canada’s Capital to America’s Capital, Washington D.C., in Spring 2020 to participate in the intensive program for social impact entrepreneurs. The Halcyon Incubator Fellowship is an international competition for one-of-eight coveted spots. Win-Win Homesharing is the only Canadian venture accepted in Cohort 12. 

Win-Win Homesharing is an online platform that solves both senior isolation and the lack of affordable housing by matching empty-nesters with vetted, helpful housemates who do chores in exchange for a room to rent at a student-friendly price. Recently, the team won top prize at Invest Ottawa’s Pre-Accelerator Pitch Competition. 

The Halcyon Incubator program aims to solve 21st-century challenges “by helping social entrepreneurs transform audacious ideas into scalable and sustainable ventures.” The program includes five-month residency at the beautiful, historic Halcyon House in Washington, D.C., and a $10 000 USD stipend for the founders of Win-Win Homesharing. 

Halcyon describes its program as “perhaps the most immersive incubator in the world that focuses on both social impact and profit. During this 18-month fellowship, a diverse cohort of fellows receives free residency and workspace, mentorship and leadership coaching, robust support from business consultants, and a living stipend to develop their entrepreneurial vision into reality.” 

Since Halcyon was founded in 2014, the entrepreneurs selected for the incubator have, collectively, raised more than $100 million USD and created more than 1 000 jobs. In addition to being Spring 2020 Fellows, Win-Win Homesharing has also been chosen by Health Worx, the corporate investment and innovation organization of CareFirst Insurance, as Halcyon's first sponsored Fellow. The venture was chosen to pilot a new initiative between Halcyon and Health Worx, giving Win-Win Homesharing access to exclusive mentorship and ts expansive network. 

For the founders of Win-Win Homesharing, being chosen as fellows for the 2020 cohort is both a major milestone and an outstanding opportunity to create greater impact. “As social entrepreneurs, our success is not only measured by our bottom-line, but also by the number of people we are able to help,” said Cat Kelly, 23, Co-Founder and CEO of Win-Win Homesharing. “It’s why being chosen as Halcyon Fellows is an incredible opportunity for us. We’ll be given the chance to grow a profitable business without compromising our mission or values to do so– in fact, it’s the place to thrive because we are purpose-driven and not in spite of it.” 

Kelly began the project in November 2018 while completing her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism at Carleton University. It’s there that she met Brendan Lucas, 23, and Mattias Lighstone, 23, who co-founded the initiative with her. Both Lucas and Lightstone are still currently studying Computer Systems Engineering at Carleton University and have plans to graduate in 2020. 

In the past year alone, Win-Win Homesharing has been supported by the Next36 Incubator, Invest Ottawa’s Pre-Accelerator Program, Youth Action Now, Collab Space, and Carleton University’s Hatch program. 

“We’re grateful for each opportunity we’ve been given and are excited to share this milestone with everyone who has helped us along the way.”