Ocean Azul Partners

Investment decisions are made by the firm's six managing directors — Bill Pruitt, Salo Sredni, Alex Tellez, David Zinn, Lisette Herbanek and Ryan Pruitt — plus Kristy King, managing director of Fund I. The group operates without a centralized CIO or head of investments, emphasizing a consensus-driven approach grounded in their shared experience as former company operators.

Ocean Azul draws deal flow from the personal networks of its operator-managing directors. The firm's website frames its value proposition around the team's own entrepreneurial backgrounds, implying that founders and co-investors reach them through industry relationships rather than cold outreach. The firm also accepts direct pitches through a structured form on its site.

Ocean Azul invests directly into portfolio companies, taking board seats on most of them. The firm's materials do not describe a fund-of-funds program or commitments to other venture firms. Its stated model is writing Seed and Series A checks and working actively alongside management teams.

The firm explicitly avoids consumer packaged goods, inventory-heavy businesses, medical devices requiring FDA approval, and any company whose primary target market is outside the United States. It also passes on opportunities where the partners believe they cannot add operational value.