What Differentiates us
NYC
For over 25 years, the Oceans team has played a pivotal role in building the NYC tech ecosystem. In 1999, we made a bold bet on NYC, launching our careers at the inception of the city’s tech scene. We’ve been in the trenches, working with top talent to drive the success of companies like Facebook, Google, Quattro (acquired by Apple), and Foursquare. Through these early experiences, we built a trusted network of exceptional founders and operators, who helped lead the expansion of Tech in NYC alongside us.
Today, that network has expanded to include major tech markets like San Francisco and Los Angeles. Our deep connections with early employees from leading tech companies—responsible for trillions in market cap—give us a unique edge in identifying top talent, conducting in-depth diligence, winning competitive deals, and supporting founders through critical growth phases.
What Differentiates us
We know greatness
We know what greatness looks like, and that’s why people come first in our investment approach. Throughout our careers, we’ve hired, managed, reported to, and worked alongside some of the most prominent founders and operators of this generation, including Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg, and Dennis Crowley. These experiences have taught us how to identify outlier founders and exceptional teams while sharpening our ability to recognize the qualities that define a generational founder.
While investment sectors may evolve, the traits of those who build generational companies remain constant. We evaluate founders against the top 1% and key characteristics such as uniqueness, self-awareness, empathy, endurance, and the ability to attract talent. Assessing talent is our competitive advantage, and the founder and team carry the most weight in our investment process.
What Differentiates us
0-1 through IPO
We are operators at heart, having built companies from 0-1 all the way to IPO. We’ve navigated the entire company lifecycle and successfully steered organizations through major economic downturns, gaining invaluable insights into the resilience and strength of great teams and cultures. Founders choose us not just for capital but for the hands-on support rooted in our firsthand experience. Our team brings a diverse skill set—spanning executive leadership, go-to-market strategy, talent, finance, and operations. We share stories and leverage our expertise to help founders focus on what matters most at the seed stage: building the best teams, go-to-market, and fundraising/cap table strategy.