Step inside Ocean Investments today, and you’ll find an energy unlike any other. It’s not the frantic buzz of a startup or the quiet hum of a traditional corporate office. It’s something rarer: a concentrated sense of purpose, a shared ambition that feels both grounded and deeply optimistic. Amidst the daily work of so many companies living under the same roof, a profound transformation is underway. This ambitious project aims to fundamentally redefine how our group of companies functions, impacting 2,500 people, and setting a new standard for business in Bulgaria.
Because for too long, the narrative of business innovation in our country has been constrained. We’ve seen incredible growth in our local entrepreneurial ecosystem, but often without a corresponding focus on the human experience within companies – the trust, the autonomy, the daily engagement that truly drives enduring success.
Ocean Investments believes in a bolder vision: that companies built here can pioneer new models of work, achieving global standards not just in growth, but in the quality of their internal ecosystems. This conviction is the driving force behind Ocean Evolution – our movement to forge a decentralized, entrepreneurial environment. This initiative aims to reshape not just our own future, but to inspire a broader shift in how Bulgarian companies think of leadership, empowerment, and collective achievement.
Beyond the Corporate Structure: An Ecosystem Emerges
Atanas Simeonov, the founder and CEO of Ocean Investments, is the architect behind this ambitious shift. He speaks with the clarity that comes from deeply held vision and extensive experience. For him, Ocean Evolution transcends merely a new program or strategy. “It’s a fundamental transformation,” he explains, “of our entire philosophy of how we do business, and not just our organizational culture.”
The goal is to transition from a corporate group based on hierarchy to a vibrant ecosystem of teams and companies. Here, value is not merely extracted from the top down, but actively co-created and collaboratively shared, maintaining zero distance to clients, partners, and the broader ecosystem. Thus, this dynamic becomes the very engine of growth and innovation. And of course, such an undertaking involves a profound mental shift, a deep re-evaluation of what contribution and ownership truly mean.
The Pillars of a New Paradigm: From Employees to Entrepreneurs
Five years ago, Atanas recalls, the group was led by just 2-3 people who were pushing the entrepreneurial drive forward. Today, that number stands at 25 senior leaders. “The next goal is 250 people directly involved in day-to-day decision-making that serves our customers,” he states. This metric is far from superficial; it represents a strategic threshold. Because in an organization of 2,500 people, pushing the entrepreneurial mindset beyond 10% of the workforce creates an irreversible cultural shift. It reaches a critical mass, making the new paradigm self-sustaining.
To give you a visual sense of it, imagine a building supported by a mere handful of pillars. Now picture that same structure, buttressed by 250. “That’s the stability we’re aiming for,” Atanas describes, “a resilience that can withstand anything.” This vision of strength stems not from central control, but from distributed leadership.
The Mechanics of Momentum: Riding the Waves of Change
This profound shift isn’t happening overnight, though, nor is it a rigid, top-down mandate. In fact, our decentralization framework was meticulously tested and iterated with volunteers throughout the entirety of 2025. What’s more, Ocean Evolution is unfolding in strategic waves, each designed for continuous learning and adaptation. The first wave launched in January 2026 with VIP Security and several smaller companies. Subsequent waves are currently underway, and others are set to follow, progressively bringing new parts of the group into this transformative journey.
At its core, this evolution hinges on the formation of autonomous teams – a process we’ve learned is inherently living and uncertain, shaped by the realities of our customers, our teams, and the larger organization itself. We began with 16 such teams in the initial wave, and 13 of them have since completed an intensive three-month program. And it was no textbook exercise; it involved a dynamic, hands-on process of discovery and creation. Each team clarified its roles, defined its goals, dove deep into client discovery and market analysis, and honed in on a specific niche. The journey culminated in a Pitch Day, where these teams presented their ideas, progress, and future plans.
What’s truly distinct here is that strategic insights and market opportunities emerge organically from within these teams – from the people closest to the clients, the sector, the beating heart of the market, thereby embodying the principle of zero distance to the customer. So, instead of hierarchy dictating what we do, clients now actively determine what value means for them. In essence, we’re redesigning Ocean Investments’ DNA from the inside out, rather than passively adapting.
Decentralized, Hybrid, and Human: A New Language of Work
Atanas’s description of Ocean as a “hybrid, decentralized business ecosystem” distills the very essence of this change into an actionable blueprint. These three elements outline a fundamental departure from traditional corporate models:
- Ecosystem: This signifies a living network of relationships and units, mutually reliant for survival and sustainable growth. Crucially, it embraces the core feature of renewability – the ability for constant reinvention through interaction. The operating logic is driven by shared principles, common sense, and mutual benefit, rather than strict rules or hierarchy. When these elements are present, the system thrives; when absent, it falters.
- Decentralized: This refers to unlocking the full potential of multiple autonomous teams. The aim is for these teams to manage 80% of their decisions independently, and a remarkable 95% of operational calls without needing to escalate. Decision-making shifts to where the context truly lives – with the teams on the ground, leveraging their know-how and expertise gained through decades of experience and proximity to the client and the market, thereby inverting traditional power structures.
- Hybrid: This describes a multi-layered approach to decision-making itself. Roughly 80% of choices will be made by teams through consent (meaning no strong objections). Shared topics will require a majority threshold. Less than 10% of decisions will remain top-down, flowing from leadership.
“The goal is not for one person to decide everything,” Atanas clarifies, “but for the best decisions to be made at the right level, by the people with the most context.”
This represents a radical rebalancing of power, designed for agility and integrity.
The Courage of Now: Building a Blueprint for Bulgaria
So, why are we doing this transformation now? Atanas answers with a blend of candor and strategic foresight. “Because yesterday was already late,” he acknowledges. While he might wish the journey had begun five years ago, he understands that significant transformations align with a broader readiness – both personal and organizational.
There is little existing blueprint for this in Bulgaria, making the path harder, but infinitely more meaningful. We are creating a model, rather than copying a template. In doing so, we aim to set a new standard for what a Bulgarian company can aspire to be, proving that ambitious, modern, and deeply human workplaces can thrive here.
Atanas admits the real challenge runs deeper than structure; it is fundamentally personal. It asks individuals to shift their very identity at work – to move from executing instructions to truly owning outcomes. This is an act of courage, not a training course. Entrepreneurial thinking inherently involves risk, accountability, and the discomfort of charting new territory.
This is why the wave structure is key – a measured approach that allows for learning, refinement, and the gradual building of psychological safety alongside operational autonomy. Moving from a handful of entrepreneurs to 250 means shifting not just behavior, but belief systems about risk, ownership, and the profound meaning of contribution. This, Atanas believes, is the core work of Ocean Evolution.
Success Beyond Numbers: A System That Endures
Another question that naturally arises is what does business success look like, beyond financial metrics? Atanas envisions a future where decisions flow, unconstrained by central command. “Success is when decisions start happening without me,” he shares. “When a team sees an opportunity, moves on it, and I hear about it afterward – not because they needed permission, but because they wanted to share the result.”
Ultimately, success for Ocean Evolution is all about creating a resilient business ecosystem designed for longevity and continuous reinvention – something truly built to last. “I believe in systems more than goals,” Atanas affirms.
“A person can fail. A system endures. What we’re building should be able to function and grow regardless of who’s at the center on any given day. Success is when the cultural shift crosses the threshold and sustains itself – when the entrepreneurial mindset becomes the default, not the exception.”
And so, Ocean Evolution will continue to unfold. It’s a bold experiment in redefining how we do business, a testament to what’s possible when autonomy meets support, and a powerful blueprint taking shape right here in Bulgaria. Follow along as we continue to document this transformation – the wins, the challenges, and the ongoing journey of building the future of work, together.