Hi! We're the folks behind Wefunder and XX Venture Partners. In August, Wefunder selected the five of us, Adolf Akuffo-Afful, Ebony Miller-Wesley, Michael Thaney, Sylvia Okoye, and Yasmin Mattox to be XX Venture Partners. We formed Valley 2 Valley and want to connect Silicon Valley to Genesee Valley. Teleportation may still be science fiction, but we think what we’ve got cooked up is a pretty good stand-in for now. We are hosting our founder gatherings to talk about the things that really matter. Now, we want to spread the magic to more people!
We try to avoid talking about work (except how it relates to our passions). Instead, we dive into meaningful, deep, and authentic stories; to make real connections with others. With s'mores! Because why not?
Interested in learning more? Send us some information for us to connect
Arkatecht
Founder
Raised in Harlem, NYC, and educated at schools such as Hunter, Alfred University, and St. John Fisher College, Yasmin Mattox has greatly benefited from the opportunity she’s had to be immersed in different environments, and be exposed to a wealth of ideas from different vantage points.
Trained in the social sciences, specifically Political Science and then International Affairs, Yasmin...
Raised in Harlem, NYC, and educated at schools such as Hunter, Alfred University, and St. John Fisher College, Yasmin Mattox has greatly benefited from the opportunity she’s had to be immersed in different environments, and be exposed to a wealth of ideas from different vantage points.
Trained in the social sciences, specifically Political Science and then International Affairs, Yasmin is a proponent of better understanding the global landscape and using a historical and interdisciplinary approach to more successfully anticipate what the future may bring.
She’s worked in the legal, mental health, renewable energy (hydrogen fuel cell), research, and higher education fields. In 2017, she founded Arkatecht, a company creating digital professional advancement tools tailored to the needs and aspirations of working parents.
Wefunder
Ecosystem Builder
Constellation Brands
Innovation Partnerships
RIT Center of Urban Entrepreneurship
Program Manager
RIT Center of Urban Entrepreneurship
Director
My name is Sylvia Okoye and I am the program manager at RIT Center for Urban Entrepreneurship (CUE). I am responsible for interdisciplinary scholarly research, inter-industry market research training and assistance to CUE clients, and development and delivery of effective, mission-related programs. I am originally from Stanhope NJ and have my masters in Technical Entrepreneurship from Lehigh University in Bethlehem PA. In my spare time, I like to sing, watch musicals and traveling with my friends.
Ebony Miller-Wesley is a known connector in the Rochester, NY community. As Director of Rochester Institute of Technology’s Center for Urban Entrepreneurship, with experience bridging the divide between non-tech and tech businesses in the area, she is bright, warm, and thrives on being an empathetic leader in the community. Having grown up in one of the poorest zip codes not only in Rochester, but also the United States, she has risen to become one of Rochester’s most personable, hard-working, and recognizable leaders. One of her greatest strengths is that she’s able to do all of this by leading from a place of authenticity, real life experience, and the desire to uplift communities by helping them make as much money as possible by bringing to market products and services for which there is a real, deep demand, so they can do better for their communities and the local economy. She routinely leads efforts to ensure that historically underserved business owners, including racial minorities and those from low to moderate incomes, working in tech and non-tech businesses, have the tools, access to capital, and resources needed to be as successful as possible. She was responsible for securing funding from JP Morgan Chase in her role at CUE to create software to more efficiently guide entrepreneurs through the Rochester entrepreneurial ecosystem and track metrics stemming from interactions with various entrepreneurial service providers. She is involved in a number of high impact and relevant organizations and has the reach and visibility to find the best of well-represented and historically underrepresented talent. It’s no overstatement to say that she is well-respected and loved by those in the community.
Startup Grind
Director
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Arkatecht
CEO
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Valley 2 Valley
Venture Partner
Community Manager
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Partnerships Lead
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Operations Lead
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