Zeynep Ilgaz

Zeynep Ilgaz is a founding partner of Cross Ocean Ventures, a venture capital firm dedicated to assisting entrepreneurs in getting the capital and management expertise they need to grow. She has more than twenty-five years of experience in strategic planning, acquisitions, business transformation, process improvement, and change management across a wide range of industries.

Before Cross Ocean, Mrs. Ilgaz was the co-founder and CEO of Confirm Biosciences, a national provider of diagnostic products for wellness testing, acquired by Clinical Reference Laboratory in 2021. She has been central for Confirm achieving national distribution with retailers including Walmart, Rite Aid, CVS, and Walgreens with over 20,000 stores of distribution. In addition, she worked diligently in product innovation, manufacturing, supply chain, and operations.

Mrs. Ilgaz is passionate about giving back to the community and educating future entrepreneurs. While CEO at Confirm, she also started the philanthropic arm called “We Care, People over Profit,” where a percentage of profits are for charity causes. Mrs. Ilgaz and her husband recently established the Ilgaz- Pala Family SDSU- Aztec Cooperative Fund Endowment to support aspiring student entrepreneurs in their journey.

Ilgaz frequently contributes to outlets such as Entrepreneur Magazine, Forbes, and The Huffington Post, where she discusses topics ranging from growth and leadership to startup financing. On the personal side, she has been married to the love of her life for 25 years; they have two boys and three dogs.

Community and Board Roles:
SDSU Campanile Foundation, Board Member
SDSU, Guest Lecturer
Berkeley Skydeck- Investor and Advisor

Awards and Recognitions:
2023 City Of San Diego- San Diego Women of Distinction
2019 INC Best Places to Work For
2016 Most Admired CEO
2013-18 INC 5000 Fastest Growing Company in the US
2016-14 SDBJ Best Places to Work For
2015 SDBJ Women Who Mean Business