Ari Perez
CEO, Coa Solutions
Founder of Coa Solutions, a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business delivering federal software engineering and healthcare AI.
About
A joint venture built to serve the public.
CoCoa JV LLC brings together two teams around one belief: public-interest technology should be measured by whether it works for the people who depend on it — not by how it demos.
The partnership
CoCoa JV LLC is a Virginia joint venture between Coa Solutions and Coforma, formed in 2026 under the U.S. Small Business Administration's Mentor-Protégé Program and approved under 13 CFR § 125.9. Coforma serves as mentor; Coa Solutions serves as protégé. Together the venture delivers as a small-business prime while drawing on the combined past performance, capacity, and capabilities of both firms.
CoCoa is led by two veteran founders — Ari Perez, CEO of Coa Solutions, and Eduardo Ortiz, CEO of Coforma. Both are Hispanic American, making CoCoa a minority-owned, veteran-led venture that is service-disabled veteran-owned (SDVOSB) eligible through both members.
Why a mentor-protégé JV
The SBA Mentor-Protégé Program lets an established firm and a small business team formally — combining the small business's set-aside eligibility with the mentor's scale and experience. For agencies, that means a small-business award backed by two proven teams rather than one.
How we work
We start with research and the people a service is for, design and build in the open, and ship working software in increments rather than big-bang launches. The goal is always a system the agency can own and improve long after we're gone.
Leadership
Eduardo Ortiz
CEO, Coforma
Founder of Coforma, a human-centered design and technology studio building research-led digital services across government.
Coa Solutions
Protégé · managing member
A Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business and SBA 8(a) participant, led by CEO Ari Perez. Coa delivers federal software engineering, digital modernization, and applied healthcare AI, with past performance across the VA and IRS.
Coforma
Mentor
A 160-person human-centered design and technology studio, led by CEO Eduardo Ortiz. Coforma brings research, design, and accessibility across healthcare, public-interest, and Veterans services — recognized with Anthem Awards for responsible technology.