About

Driving impact & innovation across ecosystems.

Charlton Cunningham is an experienced professional in inclusive innovation and program management, currently serving as the Head of Programs and Ecosystem Development at the Lightship Foundation in Tulsa, OK. At Lightship Foundation, he is responsible for designing and implementing impactful programs to support underestimated founders. This includes cultivating strategic partnerships, providing mentorship, leading program execution, and measuring the success of initiatives.

Charlton has an extensive background in technology-led economic development. Prior to his current position, he led the Startup Train Initiative at Lightship Foundation, connecting entrepreneurs and ecosystems across the Northeast corridor via Amtrak’s Acela train. He also served as the Tulsa Program Manager, where he oversaw programming and initiatives, including entrepreneur selection and local ecosystem building efforts.

Before joining Lightship, Charlton worked in various capacities at organizations such as Higher Ground Labs, where he managed an accelerator cohort, and Venwise, where he built a talent network. At HBCUvc, he held roles as Head of Programs and Ecosystem Manager, where he was instrumental in expanding the VC summer internship program and securing strategic partners.

He started his career serving as Executive Director of Startup Atlanta, a non-profit founded by the City of Atlanta, dedicated to growing and connecting the metro Atlanta ecosystem. Here he introduced initiatives like CEO Pledge, connecting startups to executives, the Startup Crawl, a dynamic event highlighting spaces and startups around the ecosystem, and the Atlanta Startup Awards, celebrating the best of the local startup community. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture with a minor in Construction Management from Southern Polytechnic State University.