As an underrepresented founder who faced barriers to capital and had to shut down a startup prematurely, Square One’s Managing Director, Justin McLeod, was driven to make entrepreneurship more equitable. His journey includes program manager, venture capitalist, and service provider roles. In 2017, Justin launched Atlanta Tech Village’s first pre-accelerator for women and founders of color, supporting 150+ startups. In 2020, he invested in diverse-led startups as a Partner at Outlander Labs, managing a $15M venture fund. Today, he leads Surthrive, a mission-driven marketing consultancy that has secured eight strategic partnerships, serving 550+ small businesses across 23 states—helping them raise $44M in capital and create 1,047 new jobs.

Crystal is the Program Manager for Square One Startup School. She works closely with instructors, advisors, and founders ensuring the program’s workshops, office hours, and other program activities are on track to help founders reach their intended goals and outcomes. Crystal has leveraged her creative marketing skills in the startup world by working with incubators, accelerators, and coding bootcamps all centered around educating creative entrepreneurs with stints at the Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative (WEI) in Atlanta and Tech Talent South, a woman-owned tech recruitment, training, and staffing company that believes everyone can be equipped with the skills to work in tech.

Lavonya Jones is passionate about Innovation as a tool to create a more sustainable and prosperous world for all. As a third-generation HBCU graduate and a certified business coach, Lavonya has over fifteen years of leadership development experience training students, entrepreneurs, and innovative professionals within for-profit and non-profit sectors. Lavonya leads the charge for a more equitable energy landscape as the Director of the Just Energy Portfolio at Partnership for Southern Equity. Tasked with mobilizing advocacy for energy equity and justice, her work navigates the intersectionality of climate justice, sustainable practices, and the fair distribution of energy benefits and burdens. Lavonya holds degrees in entrepreneurship and organizational leadership. She is an active board member of B Local Georgia and the Surthrive Startup School, expanding her advocacy to uplift local communities and cultivate future leaders. Lavonya is on a life’s mission to equip an army of socially conscious innovators.

Charlton Cunningham is a seasoned ecosystem builder with a passion for creating pathways for overlooked founders. He currently serves as Ecosystem Navigator at The Continuum, a national network helping ocean-focused startups bring their innovations to market. His journey began as Executive Director of Startup Atlanta, where he launched community-driven initiatives that brought the city’s tech scene together. From there, he went on to lead impactful programs at organizations like Lightship Foundation, HBCUvc, and Higher Ground Labs—designing accelerators, connecting ecosystems, and securing opportunities for underestimated entrepreneurs. With a background in architecture and a mind for systems, Charlton brings both structure, vision, and collaboration to every community he serves.

With a technical background and more than four years of hands-on experience in product and operations development, Charlotte is on a mission to build resilient and thriving communities by supporting all entrepreneurs through lean economic development practices. Since transitioning out of software engineering, Charlotte has worked to support startup founders, initially one-on-one through consulting and advisory roles, then by working alongside and within entrepreneurial support organizations. As an inaugural Economic Recovery Corps Fellow, Charlotte is deepening her expertise in innovative and inclusive economic development, ensuring that local community stakeholders remain at the center of initiatives that impact their communities. Now located in Baltimore, Charlotte continues to expand her knowledge and support for small business owners and social entrepreneurs, so that her work on ecosystem-level initiatives can be integral to the success of any entrepreneur who wants to build and grow a business and positively impact their local communities.