This is a subscriber-only article. Join Entrepreneur+ today for access

Learn More

Already have an account?

Sign in
Entrepreneur Plus - Short White
For Subscribers

This Washington, D.C. Launchpad Helps Social Enterprises Help Others The Halcyon Incubator offers a stipend, mentorship, PR help and more.

By Michelle Goodman

This story appears in the September 2015 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »

Shutterstock

Check out other industries that are benefiting from launchpads here.

After Brian Ferguson was wrongfully convicted of first-degree murder and imprisoned for 11 years, he and brother Albert Ferguson began developing Startline (originally called Angel's List), a comprehensive database of available employment, housing, healthcare and other social services for prisoners returning to life on the outside.

Brian, who was handed a list of outdated resources upon his release, saw the need firsthand. "There was no hub," Albert explains. So the brothers hatched an idea to build one online.