urSwim is a modern swim school and aquatics management franchise on a mission to make water safety accessible to every family. We provide high-quality swim instruction for children and adults through private at-home lessons and hosted pool locations, while also partnering with camps, communities, and organizations to provide lifeguard staffing and turnkey aquatics management. Our asset-light franchise model allows local entrepreneurs to bring trusted swim instruction and professional aquatics services to their communities without the cost of building a traditional swim school. We exist to create confident swimmers, safer communities, and greater access to lifesaving water safety education.

Under Mentzel's leadership, urSwim has grown into an emerging swim school and aquatics management franchise, delivering over 100,000 swim lessons and earning national industry recognition. urSwim is expanding its mission and bringing high-quality swim instruction and water safety education to communities across the country.

A passionate entrepreneur, Marina is a graduate of the 2024 LBAN Business Scaling Program at Stanford University, a 2023 Tory Burch Foundation Fellow, and an alumna of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program. She champions the voice of small business owners as a member of the 10KSB NY Voices State Leadership Council and contributes to the future of aquatics education as a Committee Member for the United States Swim School Association’s National Conference. urSwim was recognized by Inc. magazine as one of the fastest-growing companies in the Northeast in both 2025 and 2024.

Marina holds degrees from The George Washington University and the UNC Chapel Hill School of Law. She lives in Eastern Long Island with her husband, Jesse, and their two children, Harbor and Grant. As a dedicated mother and founder, her mission is clear: to make water safety a reality for every family.