Cross Ocean Ventures

Cross Ocean Ventures (COV) is an early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2022 with a dual presence in San Diego, California and Amsterdam, Netherlands. Co-founded by Milan Saes, Serhat Pala, and Zeynep Ilgaz — a team with over 100 years of combined experience in business management, commercialization, and investment — the firm focuses exclusively on ambitious technology companies that have originated in Europe or Israel and are ready to expand into the US market. COV positions itself as the premier fund for international founders with global ambitions. The firm leads rounds and writes checks of $100,000 to $750,000 at pre-seed through Series A, concentrating on digital health, B2B SaaS, and digital identity. The portfolio of 11 companies includes FenixPyre, Alpha3D, and HoustonBionics, spanning cybersecurity, AI-generated content, and medical technology. COV's specific goal is to help European and Israeli startups position for Series A funding from US investors within 12 to 24 months of initial investment, providing hands-on commercial and strategic support through that transition. The firm invests across a wide European geography including Israel, Germany, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, and the UK. Its transatlantic structure gives portfolio companies direct access to US networks from their earliest growth stages, addressing the market entry challenge that derails many technically strong international startups.