Allyson Eman has more than 30 years of marketing, communications, sales leadership and business development experience. In 2007, Allyson took on the role of Executive Director for the newly created Venture Atlanta annual conference.

‍

Allyson has worked with key business leaders across the country and founding organizations Metro Atlanta Chamber, Atlanta CEO Council and Technology Association of Georgia to build Venture Atlanta. In 2020, Eman was promoted to CEO. The conference is now in its nineteenth year and has become the largest venture capital conference on the east coast with over 1,600 attendees including venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, and senior business executives.

‍

Venture Atlanta’s primary mission is to connect companies with capital and it has helped emerging technology company’s raise over $8.8B to facilitate growth. Venture Atlanta has over 1000 alumni in its network and many have seen exits totaling over $22B. Prior to joining Venture Atlanta, Allyson was the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications for SouthStar Funding, a wholesale mortgage lender headquartered in Atlanta. During her 9- year tenure with the firm, she helped the company grow from 8 employees to 800 with 30 nationwide offices.

‍

SouthStar Funding grew to be one of the most reputable, respected and trusted wholesale mortgage lenders in the country under Allyson’s leadership. Prior to joining SouthStar, Allyson worked for SouthTrust Bank as a branch marketing manager overseeing the marketing platform for 100 branches across Georgia. Allyson received a BS from the University of Florida and resides in Marietta with her husband and two children.

Kwamena Aidoo is a strategic advisor, venture builder, and business development leader with a strong track record of driving impactful consulting projects and supporting organizational growth. Known for his leadership, reliability, and ability to deliver results, Kwamena has worked closely with executive teams, startups, and innovation-focused organizations to help translate strategic vision into practical outcomes.

‍

During his time at the Wharton Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the University of Pennsylvania – The Wharton School, Kwamena demonstrated exceptional tenacity and follow-through across complex consulting engagements. When project challenges arose, he consistently stepped in to provide direction, ensuring that initiatives were successfully completed and highly valued by clients. His ability to take ownership, lead teams, and maintain high standards of execution earned recognition from both colleagues and stakeholders.

‍

Beyond project delivery, Kwamena is deeply committed to mentoring and developing the professionals he works with. He actively invests time in guiding team members, offering thoughtful advice, and supporting long-term career growth. His leadership style emphasizes collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement, creating environments where individuals and teams can perform at their best.

‍

Through his work with Corridor Ventures and other innovation-driven initiatives, Kwamena focuses on helping organizations identify opportunities, overcome operational challenges, and build sustainable growth strategies. His mission is to support businesses and entrepreneurs in achieving measurable success while fostering strong professional relationships built on trust, consistency, and shared ambition.

‍

Kwamena’s approach combines strategic thinking with practical execution, making him a trusted partner for organizations seeking reliable leadership and impactful business outcomes.

Marta Self is a senior executive leader specializing in corporate philanthropy, risk management, and strategic business transformation. With deep expertise in community development, workforce readiness, market analysis, financial modeling, and process improvement, Marta has built a distinguished career guiding organizations toward measurable impact through purpose-driven strategy and disciplined execution.

‍

As Head of Corporate Philanthropy and Executive Director of the Regions Foundation at Regions Bank, Marta leads the organization’s strategic philanthropic vision across 15 states, shaping investments that support long-term community prosperity. She serves as the primary strategic partner connecting the Foundation with the Bank’s community relations initiatives, ensuring that grant-making decisions are guided by measurable outcomes, local insight, and sustainable impact. Her work focuses on advancing initiatives in Education & Workforce Readiness as well as Community & Economic Development, helping remove structural barriers to opportunity and strengthen economic mobility.

‍

Previously, Marta served as SVP of Risk Management, where she established advisory and oversight frameworks addressing complex regulatory requirements across multiple lines of business. She led the development of resolution planning programs aligned with Dodd-Frank regulations, coordinating input from more than 40 business units and creating structured processes for risk identification, mitigation, monitoring, and reporting. Her leadership ensured regulatory alignment while strengthening the organization’s long-term resilience and operational clarity.

‍

Marta is recognized as an energetic and detail-oriented strategic thinker whose leadership consistently drives collaboration, innovation, and measurable results. Her multidisciplinary background allows her to connect financial insight with community impact, helping organizations design strategies that strengthen both business performance and social progress.

Sháka Rasheed is a General Partner at Open Opportunity Fund, where he leads capital formation and value creation, leveraging more than 25 years of experience across global finance and enterprise technology.

‍

He has held senior leadership roles at Microsoft and Salesforce, driving enterprise go-to-market strategy and digital transformation, and previously served as a Managing Director at J.P. Morgan, Citadel, Lazard, and Bridgewater Associates, advising on capital markets and institutional investment strategies.

‍

At Open Opportunity, he plays a key role in scaling portfolio companies, strengthening investor relationships, and accelerating growth across the firm’s B2B SaaS investments. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Morehouse College.