Nation's First Faith-Based Startup Accelerator Announces First Class Of Start-Ups
CINCINNATI, Dec. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- OCEAN, the nation's first independent, faith-based startup accelerator, announced its first class of participating companies, who will begin in January 2015 in Cincinnati.
OCEAN received hundreds of applicants for its inaugural class, from Australia to Italy and across the United States. Ultimately, only 10 companies were selected, with a company from Daytona Beach, FL, another from Champaign, IL, and a portfolio of early stage startups with high potential from Cincinnati.
"Cincinnati has a vibrant startup culture, with many companies making a broad impact far beyond our city," said Tim Schigel, fund of funds manager for Cintrifuse, and the founder of ShareThis. "The selected companies reflect our growing influence in the startup community, and the results of their participation in OCEAN will only increase that influence."
The selected companies are:
Cerkl (Cincinnati)
Cerkl allows organizations to reach their audience through personally curated e-newsletters. Organizations post content directly to a cloud, which then customizes a newsletter for each recipient, with average open rates of 67%, or 3.5 times the national average.
Searen (Cincinnati)
An MBA and a Mediterranean fish farmer met in Cincinnati and formed Searen, which provides affordable, sustainable water treatment technology through the Vacuum AirLift tower (VAL). The technology has multiple applications, including aquaculture, oil and gas and desalination, and is now being sold in Canada, Denmark, France, Norway, Spain and the U.S.
LYFEBOAT (Daytona Beach, Florida)
LYFEBOAT capitalizes on the $6-billion roadside assistance market by providing instant roadside assistance from mobile devices, through an app that not only connects you with towing companies but also allows other passersby to help motorists.
Arena19 (Cincinnati)
Sponsorship is the world's fastest growing marketing medium, and Arena19 is a sponsorship platform that aims to change the way branding and sponsorship opportunities are researched and discovered.
StreamSpot (Cincinnati)
Founded in 2010 with a single church, StreamSpot provides live, on-demand streaming services to churches, synagogues and faith-based organizations in 31 states and Canada and remains the only 100% automated streaming solution in the world.
RINGR (Champaign, Illinois)
RINGR technology brings studio-quality sound to long-distance recordings, allowing users to to connect with virtually anyone, anywhere in the world and record the conversation, at a quality never before possible. It's billed as the perfect mobile solution for broadcasters, podcasters and anyone who wants to archive an interview.
benobe (Cincinnati)
Created by parents of teenagers, benobe is developing a powerful mobile application that sets high school students in the driver's seat of their individual career exploration journey. In partnership with employers, benobe produces and delivers career information using an innovative method that sparks career interest and aspirations during the time high school students are considering their future career options.
Quality Renters (Cincinnati)
Quality Renters is building a platform that will invert the typical residential rental marketplace. Instead of landlords listing available properties and potential tenants having to search them out, tenants will create a validated profile that showcases their quality. Landlords will be able to search for tenant profiles that match their properties and proactively reach out to them without creating a public listing.
Blue Seat Media (Cincinnati)
Blue Seat Media is building high-quality mobile apps for baseball fans. Its vision is to help fans tell the story of a game from their own perspective and preserve those memories forever.
Casamatic (Cincinnati)
Casamatic matches buyers to their homes, manages their schedule of showings, and even lets them make an offer, right from its website. Then, when they get their keys, Casamatic sends buyers a rebate check for up to 3% of the home sale price.
OCEAN evolved from Unpolished, a grassroots initiative in Cincinnati based out of Crossroads Church, where entrepreneurs explore all aspects of building a business--including faith, family and community. Over the course of the 6-month program, OCEAN will provide a support system for each company along with intensive training and mentorship, a seed investment of $20,000, co-working space, legal and accounting services and more.
"OCEAN's first class of applicants are impressive leaders who are driving positive change in our world," said Genine Fallon, director of operations. "We are excited to partner with them as they grow their businesses, their families and their faith."
To follow the work of OCEAN's 2015 inaugural class, go to http://oceanaccelerator.com/blog-news/.
Contact: Natalie Hastings
513.376.2728
[email protected]
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SOURCE OCEAN
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