Nation's First Faith-Based Startup Accelerator Launches In Cincinnati

CINCINNATI, Oct. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The nation's first independent, faith-based startup accelerator launches in Jan. 2015 in Cincinnati, and organizers are accepting applications now through Oct. 31 for the inaugural class.

OCEAN evolved from Unpolished, a grassroots initiative in Cincinnati where entrepreneurs explore all aspects of building a business--including faith, family and community. OCEAN's vision is to create a support system while providing intensive training and mentorship for the ten startup companies selected to participate.

"OCEAN is taking new ground in startup territory," said Kirk Perry, one of OCEAN's mentors, who is president of brand solutions at Google and was formerly president of global family care at Procter & Gamble. "OCEAN's program goes beyond the traditional benefits of a startup accelerator to provide holistic support for entrepreneurs and their families, including concierge services and faith mentoring."

Over the course of the 6-month program, OCEAN participants will receive:

• A seed investment of $20,000
• Business & faith mentorships
• Education in product development, financial management and customer acquisition
• Co-working space
• Branding kit
• Legal, technology and accounting services
• Concierge support service to assist in acclimating OCEAN companies and their families to Cincinnati.

"The first few years are the most critical ones in the life of your business," said Chad Reynolds, one of OCEAN's founders. "OCEAN fills a niche in the market to provide leadership not only in business but also in all aspects of life, including your family."

The Unpolished speaker series from which OCEAN grew started at Crossroads Church, one of the nation's largest that hosts 17,000 people each weekend. Crossroads was founded in 1995 by Procter & Gamble executives. Unpolished has welcomed leaders including TV producer Mark Burnett and Perry of Google to speak to entrepreneurs. OCEAN's founders come from tech startups: Chad Reynolds of Batterii, a cloud-based collaboration software company; Tim Metzner of software startup Differential and Tim Brunk of Cladwell, a men's online style service.

Founders believe Cincinnati's appeal as a big small town where startups can make a real impact—it was recently named a Top Opportunity City by Forbes and boasts more Fortune 500 companies per capita than anywhere in the country, including Kroger, Procter & Gamble, Macy's and General Electric Aviation—will attract strong applicants. Cincinnati's historic uptown has also experienced a true renaissance, which has been highlighted in travel articles from New York Magazine and National Geographic Traveler, among others.

Ten companies will be selected for the program, with a focus on companies in the technology sector. Professing a Christian faith is not a requirement for the program's selected entrepreneurs.

"The reality is, entrepreneurs drive change and create culture, as well as start companies," Reynolds said. There's usually a deeper purpose behind every founder and OCEAN wants to amplify that. Its effects ripple across our faith, business and every person we meet."

Applications for OCEAN are live through Oct. 31 at oceanaccelerator.com/apply.

Contact: Genine Fallon
513.236.4839
[email protected]

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SOURCE OCEAN

Related Links

http://www.oceanaccelerator.com