Meet Cohort 10 - OCEAN Accelerator™

OCEAN Accelerator™

Cohort 10

A high-tech accelerator for humans.

OCEAN Accelerator™ Cohort 10 is a 17-week program designed to help founders build venture-backable companies. The program provides seed funding, mentorship, education, and professional services to support the growth of participating startups. Along with traditional accelerator elements, the OCEAN Accelerator also invites founders to integrate their faith, purpose, relationships, and health into their startup journey.

Cohort 10

Meet the Founders

Lana Suvorova ESGentle

Joe Brown SMB.co

Mike Hillenmeyer SMB.co

Britni Zandbergen-Karel SMB.co

Jonathan Brown Palli

Francis Byobudde Palli

Janessa Ferrell QuestRead

Greg Ferrell QuestRead

Pavel Kozlovsky QuestRead

Alex Edquist Good Agriculture

“OCEAN gave us our big break, without this program we would never have succeeded or made it this far. As a solo founder with zero prior founder wins, Ocean saw in me what Techstars and ultimately Mailchimp would see later but likely wouldn’t have had Ocean’s unique mission not existing during my earliest stages.”

"OCEAN rocks, they have been game-changers for GRID! The hands-on mentorship was the biggest value add!"

"OCEAN made me realize there is a way to do business with impact without sacrificing who you are. At an early stage, I’m learning to prototype what works for me and the flourishing of our stakeholders in a way that emphasizes clarity and purpose for people."

“I want you to know that I’m so thankful for OCEAN. This is more than I could have ever dreamed of when I began to look for an accelerator. As a new husband and a founder, I can’t imagine myself on this journey without this program and this community guiding me.”

“You guys invert the whole accelerator model and put people in the center of it. I feel safe, seen, and valued at OCEAN. This is so unique.”

OCEAN Accelerator Partners

Meet the Investors

Fireroad Ventures is a pre-seed venture fund based in Cincinnati. As a founder-focused, value-add investor, Fireroad partners with OCEAN to offer practical and hands-on founder development to portfolio companies. The fund also backed the 2023 cohort of OCEAN Accelerator and is led by OCEAN co-founder and former board member Tim Metzner, and former OCEAN COO, Christy Johnson. Throughout the program, the fund will assist with workshop sessions, mentoring companies, and making investor introductions.

Tim Metzner Fireroad Ventures

Christy Johnson Fireroad Ventures

Meet the Experts

Amanda Vrbas

Square House | Sales| Denver, CO

Arthur Gallanter

Uncharted Startups | Marketing | San Francisco, CA

Brad Felix

Fireroad |Financial Modeling | Cincinnati, OH

Caroline Creidenberg

Wedfully (exited) | Metrics and Analytics | Denver, CO

Dan Rye

Tensure Consulting | IT Services & IT Consulting | Cincinnati, OH

David Scott

Tech Link | Fundraising | Cincinnati, OH

Emma Dessau

Uncharted Startups | Marketing | Los Angeles, CA

Jeff Ma

Culture+ | Leadership Development + Culture | Houston, TX

Kirsten Moorefield

Cloverleaf | Company Development + HR | Cincinnati, OH

Logan Odell

PaySimple | Sales | Denver, CO

Luke Quesnell

Edpuzzle | Sales | Boston, MA

Marci Campbell

Coterie Insurance | Business Modeling | Cincinnati, OH

Mike Schumann

Convici | Sales | Somerville, MA

Mohammad Anwar

Culture+ | Leadership Development + Culture | Houston, TX

Tim Metzner

Fireroad | Fundraising | Cincinnati, OH

Vance Vandrake

Frost Brown Todd | Law Practice | Cincinnati, OH

Vidya Dinamani

Product Rebels | Product Development | San Diego, CA

Zach Bahorik

Frost Brown Todd | Law Practice | Cincinnati, OH

Learn More About
OCEAN Accelerator
& Our Past Cohort

FOUNDERS – Faith & Co. Film

“Grounded in faith, OCEAN goes beyond those basic functions creating community and holistically caring for founders who face a lonely and difficult journey.