Our Team

Sherman Williams is a co-founder and Managing Partner of AIN Ventures. Sherman has an extensive history investing in dual-use technology subsegments, such as space technology and healthcare technology. Sherman has been the VC-in-Residence to several Techstars programs. Sherman is also a Kauffman Fellow ('26). Prior to becoming an early-stage investor, Sherman gathered six years of financial transaction experience as a Healthcare Technology M&A Investment Banker. Sherman started his career as a Naval Intelligence Officer.

Sherman holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Naval Academy.

Emily McMahan is a co-founder and General Partner at the Academy Investor Network. Previously, Emily served as Founder and Executive Director of Capitol Post, an incubator that taught military veterans and their spouses to think and act like entrepreneurs. Capitol Post also housed Bunker Labs DC, a national 501(c)(3) network of military veteran entrepreneurs dedicated to helping the military-connected community start businesses.

Before founding Capitol Post, Emily was partner and CFO at a successful tech startup serving the federal government. Emily holds an MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and a Bachelor of Science from the United States Military Academy at West Point. She serves on the Board of Directors for Patriot Boot Camp in Boulder, CO, and lives in Arlington, Virginia, with her husband and three children.