We are Venture Coaches, not just Venture Capitalists

“Starting a company and then scaling it is one of the hardest, most rewarding, things one can do. There’s not a ton of folks who really know how to do it or have really lived it, and I get asked for advice on the topic all the time.  What I love about Oceans – and especially after spending 6 years side-by-side with Steven at Foursquare – is that they’ve put together a team that I would have loved to have had access to when we were starting Foursquare. I’m excited to support Oceans and the next generation of founders they’ll support and advise as they get to work building great companies.”

“I have been fortunate to scale some of the most exciting tech and media businesses as a leader at companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, Yahoo, and now IAS. The most important element for success is having a strong team.  I have known Steven for years and I can confirm that he and the team at Oceans understand that in order for an early-stage company to reach the venture and growth stage, it needs to be surrounded by a team of “athletes” in the seed stage. Oceans brings an incredible amount of experience and a deeply connected network which the best founders in the world need. I’m excited to be an investor in Oceans and support the founders they are helping.”

“After reflecting back as the founder of Quattro Wireless that we sold to Apple and now as the founder of NRG, the leading esports brand, I have lived what it takes to build a successful start up.  I have also been a VC and have invested in many other start ups personally. Some have done wonderfully and some have failed, but the common thread is how successfully each built and relied on their team of employees and advisers to help navigate the inevitable complex challenges they face in their respective industries.  I’m excited to support Oceans and the next generation of founders. “

“Josh and Glenn have been my business partners, friends and teammates off and on for the greater part of 10 years.  Josh and I started working together during the earliest of stages of Facebook. Both Josh and Glenn ended up recruiting me to Facebook and the partnership continued long after I left.

They are world class operators and know how to navigate the hard path of scaling people and products from the earliest of stages.   I am confident their mentorship and guidance for early stage founders will be invaluable and I am excited to support Oceans and the founders they are helping.”

“I have gotten to know the Oceans team as they are incredibly complementary to what we do as they have been through and seen the movie from infancy to IPO.  They know what it’s like to launch a first product, go to market, raise capital, build a world class team, pivot, and scale. In a world where founders not only need the right investors, they also need investors on the cap table who can help them operationally and exceptionally and Oceans is a great partner for that.  I’m excited to support Oceans and look forward to partnering with them on deals in the future.”

“As an angel investor and investor in other funds, I’m constantly getting asked for advice on how to scale companies.  What I love about Oceans is their ability to ensure you have the right foundations so when it’s time to scale, you will be ahead of the game.  I’m thrilled to support Oceans and the next generation of founders.”

“My career has been spent helping some of the world’s biggest marketers connect with consumers and businesses while technology has created media fragmentation and complexity.  Understanding how to leverage all of the digital platforms and the appropriate marketing message for each can be daunting. I have also had the opportunity to meet and partner with start ups disrupting legacy industries and have watched tiny start ups become disruptive large companies over time.  I’m excited to take that experience and to support Oceans as they help the next generation of founders.”

“Steven is pound for pound one of the best investors we have had.  The advice and connections that he brings had a huge impact on our initial success and continues to pay dividends years later.  As a multi time founder, Steven and the Oceans team are the exact investors you want leading your seed round.”

“Having built a company that we sold to WeWork and then spending 4 years at WeWork scaling at a pace that had never been seen before in NYC tech, I certainly have seen and learned a tremendous amount over the last decade.  The roller coaster ride of a start up can be some of the most rewarding days of your life and some of the most difficult. What is most important is having trust people around you who have gone through it and know when to step on the gas and when to pull back.  I’m now excited to help other entrepreneurs which is why I’m so excited to support Oceans and the next generation of founders.”

“As a lifelong entrepreneur building and selling my own entertainment marketing companies, investing in many businesses and startups, it is so critical to have a network of people around you that can help you. As somebody who has been behind some of the most iconic  entertainment marketing brand initiatives, I know by harnessing the power of sports, music, celebrity, and influencer can differentiate a company from its competitors. I’m excited to bring that experience and is why I’m so excited to support Oceans.”

“As somebody who has been investing, advising, and consulting early stage start-ups for most of my career, I’ve consistently seen the same thing.  Great founders building companies always wanting to be connected to talent that could help them solve the most critical issues facing their company.  I know how difficult it is to build a company, scale it, and both serve and compete against big corporations which is why Oceans’ support is so critical. “

“I have founded several companies and sold 3 to public companies including Apple. I have also been an angel investor and advisor to a dozen startups that span the gamut from AI to quantum computing to massage tables. The one thread that is common across all of these entrepreneurial endeavors is the need for the startup leader to receive wholehearted and passionate support from a trusted group of lieutenants and advisors. You simply cannot make the journey to the end all by yourself as an individual or a founding team.

Steven, Josh and team are viscerally aware of this, since they have been in your shoes. They will be by your side as peers but also help nag, coax and assist you to grind through operational goals as well as recruit the right talent, obsessing about burn rate and team chemistry with the same sense of urgency as you. They will also ensure that you get the right technical and design minds in the room as you wrestle with the early and critical platform and UX choices.

I truly wish I had a team like Oceans as mentors and advisors when I began my entrepreneurial run – their impact would have been very material on not just exit valuations but also my personal health and well-being.”

“Over the last couple of years, I have seen  how technology can impact media and entertainment. I continue to believe that we are still at the early stages of how technology will transform experiences for both consumers and businesses across all industries as it’s done for the music business. I’m inspired and excited about what’s to come and look forward to supporting Oceans.”

“One of the most difficult aspects of being a founder is building a trusted network that you can turn to during challenging times.  I have known members of the team at Oceans for almost 15 years. You can trust them, they can be your first call for any issue you are working through, and you can always count on them to give you honest and valuable feedback.”

“I have been fortunate to have been a part of building a few very successful companies over the past 20 years. In that time, whether we’ve been in startup mode, growth stage, or working through M&A, the one common thread is the nature of the team. It’s cliche to say that you want the best people around you. However, it’s better to focus on having the right people working together on the best plan. And then knowing when that plan needs to change. It’s great to know that Oceans shares that philosophy so we don’t waste time with the hyperbole. As a current angel investor, it’s rewarding to apply some of those learnings with the terrific approach that Oceans is taking.”

“Having been part of several early stage companies at Tunes.com (Music), Overture (Search Advertising) and Foursquare (Social Location), I have seen that success is about having the right operational leaders and best talent around you.  I have been fortunate enough to have worked with Steven for several years and have known Josh for what feels like a lifetime. There are no better, more experienced investors than Oceans who know what it takes to truly build and scale a start up. They are the team you can trust to have the most difficult and honest discussions and will always push and motivate you to help you accomplish things you never thought were possible.  That is why I support Oceans and the founders they are helping.”

“Steven Rosenblatt was one of my first hires at my start up in 1998. He immediately understood what we were trying to do and hit the ground running. He helped generate revenue early on in our life as a company which allowed us to breathe and validate our business model. We have worked together in various capacities ever since and his work ethic, knowledge of the digital media business and networking abilities are second to none. I have met the entire Oceans team and impressed with all of their complementary skills. Their mission and approach is invaluable to any business who is looking to get a jump start. In the end it’s about the people that you surround yourself with and finding people with experience and various backgrounds that you do not have who can make you smarter. That is what Oceans philosophy is all about.”