LAUNCH! Magazine Winter 2012

WINTER 2012 | ISSUE NO. 4 | LAUNCH! MAGAZINE | 1 w w w. l a u n c h m a g . c o

How to Develop A

BUSINESS PLAN

AaronMOSKOWITZPratishSHAHJimmyNGUYENRobertBUHLER

2 | LAUNCH! MAGAZINE| ISSUE NO. 4 | WINTER 2012 w w w. l a u n c h m a g . c o

LAUNCH! Magazine celebrates the creativity,

dedication to responsible business practice and

entrepreneurial spirit of students and alumni at

Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of

Business and Management, principles fundamental

to its mission and that the school and its faculty

have embraced and actively advanced for more

than 40 years.

PUBLISHED BY GRAZIADIO SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

© 2011 PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY

DEAN:LINDA A. LIVINGSTONE, PH.D.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM:Larry Cox, Ph.D.

PUBLISHING EDITOR:Dianne King

EDITOR: F. Douglass Gore III

EDITORIAL ASSISTANCE:Jaime Quigley

PROFILES:Amy Biemiller, Lightstream

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHY:Leroy HamiltonShutterstock.com

CONTENTS FEATURES

2 How to Develop A Business Plan

15 The Short List

ENTREPRENEURS

7 Aaron Moskowitz, MBA ‘07

9 Pratish Shah, MBA ‘10

11 Jimmy Nguyen, MBA ‘09 and Patrick Leroy, MBA ‘09

13 Robert Buhler, MBA ‘10

LAUNCH!ON THE COVER

Professor Doug Howe, founder and principal of

Emerson Management Solutions, teaches global

marketing, entrepreneurial start-up strategies

and business-plan writing as a member of the

practitioner faculty at Pepperdine. In this issue

of LAUNCH! he provides his recipe for a winning

business plan—one guided by the wisdom of

venture capitalist and Apple Fellow Guy Kawasaki.

Howe helped launch the Graziadio School’s

redesigned entrepreneurship curriculum, playing a

key role in overseeing the Pepperdine Business Plan Competition in recent years and

establishing the annual signature symposium

Entrepreneur’s Journey. After the Spring 2012

trimester, Howe retires

Photo by Leroy Hamilton

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How To Develop A Business Plan

P rofessor Doug Howe is passionate about

saving his students time and making them

more confident in the early stages of

business development. To accomplish that, he

shares his experiences as an entrepreneur and

draws on the business development model

developed by Guy Kawasaki.

“I have had several opportunities to observe

investors in presentation settings stop entrepre-

neurs during the pitch and ask ‘Have you read

The Art of the Start?” says Howe.“Savvy

investors can tell if presenters understand the key

steps to an efficient and productive use of

everyone’s time as presented in Guy Kawasaki’s

model.”


“Kawasaki’s book covers many aspects of starting a business – bootstrapping, recruiting, positioning and branding, among several other key subjects,” explains Howe. He finds Kawasaki’s example vital in helping students understand how to craft a business plan and orchestrate an effective presentation.

“Investors are the key audience for entrepreneurship students, so my focus is the rationale behind the business plan and how to most effectively draft and present it,” he says.

Howe is no stranger to entrepreneurship, securing venture capital, and Kawasaki’s influence. He has experience as both a senior manager in start-up operations and, as an entrepreneur, Howe has seen firsthand investors enthusiastically endorse Kawasaki’s approach.

“Kawasaki is someone who has been there, done that, suffered through it and learned the lessons. He is now, as a venture capitalist, providing an invaluable service by describing not only a philosophy of how to start a business, but also a step-by-step process for achieving success,” he says.

SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS PLANS ARE BORN FROM THE PITCH

Entrepreneurs unfamiliar with Kawasaki’s book often get the process of building a business plan backwards. According to Kawasaki, a good business plan is the elaboration of a good pitch. A good pitch is not the distillation of a business plan.

Professor Doug Howe


section—which should be a maximum of two pages—critical to gaining capital.

“These first two pages of the plan must succinct-ly communicate the essence of the who, what, when, how and why of the enterprise, spark the investor’s imagination and generate a high level of interest and enthusiasm to read on,” says Howe. Howe adds that while the Executive Summary appears at the very beginning of the business plan document, it is the last item to be completed in the process, succinctly summarizing all of the plan’s details.

THE REST OF THE STORY

Howe cautions that the plan should not be crafted by committee.

“While everyone on the team can contribute to the draft, one person should write the plan for the sake of continuity, and brevity,” he says. He considers anything that is too thick to be stapled, too long.

“Potential investors expect you to have a business plan, but, it is not necessary to go into the tiniest of details,” says Howe.

Follow the order of the executive summary, Howe advises, and deliver the key details.

“There should be a good, succinct outline of the key financial drivers, as well as the right number of details,” he explains.

“There is only one chance to make a good first impression,” says Howe. “That first impres-sion should be a captivating one that gets you invited to a second meeting. Such an invitation indicates investor interest in pursuing additional details and beginning a due diligence process that may lead to successful funding of the business.”

EFFECTIVE BUSINESS PLANS BEGIN WITH THE SUMMARY

Entrepreneurs often think that drafting a business plan is an exercise in futility. “It is a lot of work. Because economies change, markets change and customer’s attitudes change, the business plan needs to be a dynamic document subject to change and revision from the start,” counsels Howe. “However, investors expect to see the plan and, if they read it, to come away with a good understanding of where the entrepreneur is going, how he or she will get there and what the potential return on investment will be for the investor’s capital.”

Howe is careful to underscore the word if in that statement. “We must remember that investors receive dozens of business plans per month from entrepreneurs hoping to get an opportunity to present their idea of how they will change the world,” he says.

Typically, an investor will quickly read through a business plan executive summary and make the decision to read further or go on to the next plan. This makes the executive summary

So, what makes a good pitch? A good pitch clearly and quickly explains what the vision is. Entrepreneurs must navigate the challenge of avoiding too many details while delivering enough specifics to demonstrate that their idea is a solution to a problem. “The pitch needs to intrigue and captivate the audience and get them to ask for more,” says Howe. Getting to that point – and then using the pitch to craft an effective business plan—takes practice, practice, practice, he advises.

“The idea is if we get the pitch right, we will get the plan right,” he explains. To get the pitch right, entrepreneurs should practice it with as many people as possible, in order to garner feedback and refine the message.

“I tell my students to conduct perhaps a dozen presentations, gather all the feedback possible, conduct a ‘post mortem’ after each pitch session, and then refine the pitch each time. That refining process, based on the feedback gathered after each previous pitch, is critical to being able to clearly explain the business idea and capture the listener.

“Once the final version of the pitch is polished, the next step is to write the business plan,” says Howe.

One of the primary goals for an initial-stage entrepreneur is to receive an invitation to present the business idea and plan to an investor audience. Therefore, the pitch preparation stage is crucial to successfully attaining start-up capital.


Those numbers should include monthly projections for the first year, quarterly for the second and annually to profitability. In addition, details should include the amount of cash necessary to achieve positive cash flow by quarter for the first two years and annually through the fifth year.

“I also recommend that entrepreneurs apply the 2X – 3X Rule when projecting the amount of time and investment needed,” suggests Howe. “Expect that it will take two-to-three times as long and cost two-to-three times as much as we project to achieve a milestone.”

THE INVESTOR PRESENTATION

Howe underscores the importance of Kawasaki’s direction once the business plan is crafted, and the investor presentation is ready.

“Guy Kawasaki’s key recommendation in making the presentation is to follow the 10/20/30 Rule: 10 slides, 20 minutes and a 30-point font,” says Howe.

Each of 10 slides should cover the subject areas that are most important to the investor audience: title slide, the problem, your solution, the business model, the underlying magic or competitive advantage, marketing and sales, competition, management team, financials and current status. “This might be 12 slides (perhaps adding in operations or a slide of a key technology), but it is not 20 or 30 slides,” he says.

The presentation should be crafted to take only 20 minutes, but practiced enough to shorten it

if necessary. “If the company presenting prior to your arrival runs late, you may have only 10 minutes. The key here is to be prepared to make a great presentation and communicate your key messages under any circumstance or time constraint,” says Howe.

Finally, the PowerPoint slides should be created using 30-point font, which is large enough to be read from the back of a room and which provides only enough room for a quick read. “We want the audience to quickly read the point on the slide, then transition to look at you while you explain the details. Then they can see your body language, your passion, your enthusiasm for the subject matter,” says Howe.

Once the presentation has been completed, it is time to answer questions from the audience. Take notes, suggests Howe. It is likely you will be given some suggestions for improving or tweaking the business or idea. Summarize what you hear and, within a few days of the presentation, follow-up with those who gave you the feedback.

Like Kawasaki, Howe’s purpose is to help entrepreneurs avoid mistakes that can lead to discouragement and failure. “There are six common early-stage mistakes I review with my students, specifically to help them avoid these pitfalls,” he says. Those include:

Insufficient start-up capital: “This is where my 2X – 3X rule comes in. Add some financial buffer into the projections to cover these eventualities,” he recommends.

Accepting investment from anyone: “All money is not the same,” explains Howe. “Every investment has obligations.”

Having a product that is never ready for market: “Strive for excellence, not perfection. Get the product or solution out in the market-place, get feedback and start working on the next version,” he says.

Failure to segment: “Plan to penetrate, grow and dominate a segment, then identify the next segment and repeat the process,” Howe advises. “Don’t extend yourself beyond the resources you have.”

Relying too heavily in IP: “Don’t rely solely on publically-disclosed intellectual property,” he cautions “and be sure to create a strategy that anticipates infringement.”

The CEO who tries to do it all: “Identify and delegate critical tasks. It’s the only way you will grow,” he says.

Professor Doug Howe, founder and principal of Emerson Management Solutions, specializes in marketing, business development and general management, notably turnarounds and restruc-turings of established companies and launches of high growth pre-revenue start-up operations. His successes include projects across a variety of industries and applications, involving companies such as Crown Zellerbach Corporation, General Electric Company, Nikon Inc., Van Camp Sea Food Company, Olympus America Inc., Rockwell Scientific Company and Vivitar Corporation.


Aaron Moskowitz Capchure LLC

If Aaron Moskowitz’s company,

Capchure, had a middle name, it

might be Epiphany.

While working with Web-based startups and connecting big brands with blogs, he uncovered an online lead generation opportunity. “I real-ized that everything – stories, news, posts – is in the blogosphere now, and it happened almost overnight. Why not go there for lead generation and credit bloggers with both leads and sales re-lated to the online conversations stemming from their publications?” he asks.

Such “a-ha” moments are the threads that make up the fabric of entrepreneurship. Moskowitz acted on his epiphany and built Capchure, which places hover-over information capture forms above advertiser chosen keywords showing up in online stories and articles. Information captured goes straight to the advertiser’s email inbox.

“Advertisers love Capchure because they only pay for the end-lead generated,” he says. “Pub-lishers love Capchure because they are able to monetize from unused advertising inventory, while making more money per action than most online advertising formats offer.”


Coming up with the idea was one thing. Making it work took careful planning.

The concept-to-company genesis was a carefully orchestrated process in which Moskowitz took time to examine and re-examine the typical online lead generation process.

“I analyzed the online lead generation space and came to the conclusion that online business is all about relevance and qualification. Online advertisers establish both when a user fills out a form,” he says. “But I also noticed that typically online advertisers first pay for somebody to click through a display ad, and then pay a designer to create and manage an online form-based process. The process seemed too clunky to me.”

Once the idea germinated, Moskowitz needed to create momentum to bring the idea to the marketplace. It turned out that his passion to bring more credibility to online lead generation was the all the fuel necessary to make that happen.

“There’s not a lot of credibility in online advertising and there’s a clear difference be-tween the cultures of lead generation and the cultures of ad networks that conduct Pay-Per-Click or Cost-Per-Impression type advertising offerings,” he says.

“This difference arises because, before Capchure, lead generation focused on domain squatting, forms, and generic topics, and as-seen-on-TV type campaigns. I’d like to legitimize it a little bit.”

Moskowitz is a self-confirmed visionary, who used the science of strategy to plot and launch his business. During his MBA studies at Pepperdine’s Graziadio School of Business Management, he learned how to leverage strat-egy to capitalize on a vision. He believes that’s the most important skill an entrepreneur can have.

“Don’t let anyone tell you that you need money to start a company,” he says. “Your vision is everything. I have been completely surprised to learn that I needed much less support and infrastructure than I thought possible in order to launch this business.”

Seeing that vision turn into reality is how Moskowitz defines his success. “What has delighted me most about the entrepreneurial process is that I have been able to create this system and iterate it to a great extent,” he says.

With the company launched, Moskowitz has no intention of casting about for another focus. Taking Capchure to the next level has already captivated him to the point of having another epiphany.

“I recently added a pay-per-Facebook Like component that seems to be a real game changer,” he says.

Aaron Moskowitz, MBA ‘07

Company: Capchure LLC

URL: www.capchuresystem.com

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Mission: Legitimize lead generation in the blogosphere

Business Idea:

Meld publisher and advertiser

networks for lead/sales generation

Problem Set Out to Solve:

Traditional online user information capture is clunky and can create sales fallout

Target Customer: Advertisers, blog publishers

Year Founded:

2010

Avg. Annual Revenue:

Confi dential

Number of Employees:

Partners and interns

w w w. l a u n c h m a g . c o


Pratish Shah

Locaxion

Some are born to entrepreneurship. Others, like Pratish Shah (MBA ‘10), come to it when

every excuse not to take on entrepreneurship has run dry.

“Like many in this environment, I was in an unfortunate situation of having no job. For many years I had talked about doing something on my own, but had plenty of reasons to procrastinate. When I was jobless, all those excuses disappeared,” says Shah.

Propelled by exigency and support from his professors at the Pepperdine University Graziadio School of Business Management, Shah partnered with his friend Froi Lomotan (pictured left). Together they brainstormed for an idea involving a GPS-enabled smart phone application for golfers. The result was AirVue Golf, satellite rangefinder software to accurately measure distances to any point on a green. The app can be downloaded and run on an existing mobile phone, which makes it more convenient and cost effective for every golfer.


The idea was a hole-in-one with the golf industry, and served to encourage the partners to develop their second product —ShotView™ —in partnership with the Nicklaus Companies, a global leader in the golf business.

Now with three years of entrepreneurship under his belt, Shah still gets a charge out of reflecting back to the early “idea stage” days of the venture.

“It still gives me an adrenaline rush to think about how this company was created from nothing. I think about each first – the first sale, the first website, the first customer support call, the first interview, the first press release—and I get a real sense of accomplishment,” he says.

Another facet of the business that gives Shah great satisfaction is his partnership with Lomotan.

“I recommend starting a business with a partner, but it’s extremely critical that you and your partner know each other’s goals, strengths, weaknesses, work styles, quirks and more,” he says. “It’s important that your partner isn’t a duplicate of you. You want someone who can see problems through a different perspective, has skills that offset your own personal weak-nesses and is someone with whom you can get along.”

Partnership has been key to riding out the typical ups and downs of business. “Starting and growing any business is challenging. I can say that our personal passion and drive has really helped to take us through those challenging

times,” he says. Shah also counsels would-be en-trepreneurs that a solid partnership helps when the simple things about the business become points of frustration.

“During the initial entrepreneurship phase, our challenge was with the basic stuff,” he says. “For instance, we knew how to build a business plan, how to develop a strategy, how to read financial spreadsheets and more. But the little things, like determining if the company should be an LLC or a Corporation, meant we searched multiple resources and came up with multiple recommen-dations.”

While the partners are confident in each other, they also know they have a valuable outside resource available when they get stuck or need guidance: Shah’s relationships with his professors at the Graziadio School.

“Even a year and a half after graduation, I still email and talk to professors to get their insight and help,” he says. “The faculty is an amazing resource and simply one of the best assets Pepperdine has for entrepreneurs.”

Pratish Shah, MBA ‘10

Company: Locaxion

URL: www.locaxion.com

Location: San Jose, CA

Mission: Make golf a more rewarding experience.

Business Idea: Create GPS-enabled rangefi nder smart phone applications for golfers.

Problem Set Out to Solve: Golfers of every level need a one-stop reference to fi nding distance to points on a course, keeping score and accessing club recommendation.

Target Customer: Golfers

Year Founded: 2008

Avg. Annual Revenue: Confi dential

Number of Employees:

Confi dential



Jimmy Nguyen and Patrick LeroyDermaShoppe

Starting your own business, does not require being consumed with the goal of devising

the most original never-been-thought-of product or service. Instead, says Jimmy Nguyen, chief mar-keting officer of DermaShoppe, pursue what you know.

“Don’t wait to come up with the next big idea - not everyone can be Google,” he says. “Do find what you are passionate about, draw up a feasible and viable business plan, and just do it better than your competitors.”

Following his own advice, Nguyen partnered with good friend Patrick Leroy and the two put a business plan together to meet the needs of a growing consumer base of people who wanted, but did not have, easy access to the best skin care products. They created DermaShoppe, a one-stop skin care education and online product shopping experience.


“The idea for DermaShoppe is not revolution-ary by any standards,” he says. “We just thought to bring skin care education of the sort you get when you visit a doctor, together with an online opportunity to purchase high-end, physician-grade products.”

The entrepreneurial pair had to contend with some nay-saying from the outside when they first made public their determination to form their partnership to launch DermaShoppe. Nguyen believes that criticism is common, particularly from non-entrepreneurs.

“We can serve as an example of why going into business with a friend is a great idea,” he says. The two met when they were pursuing their MBAs at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management. By teaming up on various assignments, Nguyen and Leroy found that they could effectively challenge each other and still be friends. “The key to any successful business partnership is trust, and we developed that level of trust through our friendship.”

That trust helped the duo honestly approach and amend knowledge gaps, something Nguyen sees as a pitfall for many startups.

“To fill knowledge gaps, we either brush up on our skills or learn what’s needed very quickly, or we bring in outside consultants to help us with what we cannot accomplish by ourselves,” he explains. “By having a clear channel of communication and having a ‘zero ego’ approach to running the business, we are able

to overcome many challenges that other startups face in terms of human resources and intellectual capabilities.”

As so often happens for entrepreneurs, one idea leads to another. The next step for Nguyen is to manufacture, market, and distribute the company’s own branded luxury skin care line. “We want to build an international distribution network to successfully leverage the line and compete with established players in the industry,” he says.

While it is imperative for entrepreneurs to constantly think ahead, Nguyen does enjoy reflecting on all the steps that brought him to this point. Now that the company has celebrated its first year anniversary, Nguyen confirms that making the decision to become an entrepreneur was worth it.

“The entire process has been very rewarding, challenging, and intellectually stimulating,” he says. “To be able to create a company from the ground up and watch it flourish is an experience unlike any other. The journey has been full of challenges, but I would rather be doing this and working to fulfill my own dreams than be working to fulfill somebody else’s dreams.”

Jimmy Nguyen, MBA ‘09Patrick Leroy, MBA ‘09

Company: DermaShoppe

URL: www.DermaShoppe.com

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Mission: Make it easy for consumers to purchase luxurious, high-end, physician-dispensed skin care products at a great value.

Business Idea: Deliver online availability of a large selection of the very best skin care products.

Problem Set Out to Solve: Exclusive spa-quality skin care products are diffi cult to obtain other than through select distributors.

Target Customer: Mostly women, ages 25 - 70

Year Founded: 2010


Number of Employees: 5



Robert BuhlerAndy Bernbaum Auto Parts

Some people’s entrepreneurship adventure spans

years. For Robert Buhler, that journey was mea-

sured in months.

Not quite a year ago, Buhler was a freshly minted MBA graduate of Pepperdine’s Graziadio School of Business and Management, certain that entrepreneurship was his destiny. “I had taken Dr. Larry Cox’s class on entrepreneurship thinking it would be a good background course. At that time, I was planning to get my MBA in finance. But his class was absolutely inspirational. From that point on, there was no turning back. I was going to start my own business,” he says.

He was also confident in his skill of spotting financially strong busi-nesses. That’s why, when a business investment opportunity crossed his path in October 2010 before his idea for a start-up venture was well formed, he borrowed money from his dad and purchased the nation’s largest distributor of vintage Chrysler auto parts.

“The company was financially strong and there was plenty of room for growth,” says Buhler. “I was excited about the opportunity and immediately got to work expanding the sales channels, moving to a new warehouse, and initiating enterprise resource planning to integrate all facets of the business, including planning, inventory management, sales, and marketing.” That was no easy task –espe-cially since the business had only sold the parts by phone over the last 33 years.


Apparently, Buhler was doing all the right things in the right commercial space. In the early part of the summer, he received a call from a busi-nessman who was interested in buying the busi-ness.

“This was out of the blue and I wasn’t even sure it was a legitimate conversation,” he admits. “I was in the midst of developing the business and I had planned not to think of selling for five to seven years.”

Over the course of three months, Buhler contin-ued the conversations, as well as the hard work involved in refining and growing the enterprise. In mid-September, he sold the business, just 11 months after purchasing it.

“This was incredibly intense and exciting at the same time,” he says. “I was torn because I thought of the business as part of me, and had plans for it. But at the same time I was thinking of it as an investment.”

What made the negotiations easier was that the buyer had the same affinity for the business as Buhler. “The new owner and I really meshed well with skill sets and vision. He’s asked me to stay on over the next few months to continue the technology transition, and I will be available to consult on an as-needed basis after that.”

“Buying and selling a business are two of the most stressful events in an entrepreneur’s life, and I can certainly attest to that,” he says. “But this was also one of the most exhilarating expe-

riences I have ever had.”

Now that the business is sold, Buhler has achieved another goal: paying his dad back. “My dad is very happy that he leant me the money,” he says.

Not one to sit on the sidelines, Buhler is looking forward to the next chapter as an entrepreneur. The proceeds from the sale will enable him to purchase another business.

“I’ve got my eye on another opportunity. I know that buying and selling a business for profit within a year is extremely rare, so I am not thinking along those lines for this next opportu-nity,” he says. “But in the end, the ultimate goal is to nurture, grow and then sell.

Robert Buhler, MBA ‘10

Company: Andy Bernbaum Auto Parts

URL: www.oldmoparts.com

Location: Newton, MA

Mission: Give vintage Chrysler auto afi cionados an easier way to source auto parts.

Business Idea: Transform a 33-year-old sales and inventory systems to capitalize on a wider sales channel

Target Customer: Males aged 50 or older who are vintage Chrysler car owners

Year Founded: 1978


Number of Employees: 5


THE SHORT LIST

American Love Affair myamericanloveaffair.comDenim and fashion apparelNoelle Nguyen, PKE Candidate ’12

Anedotanedot.comOptimizing the way we givePaul Dietzel, MBA/MPP ’11

Behind the Brandbehindthebrand.tvExpert insight to grow your businessBryan Elliott, MBA ‘99

Beyond the Olivewww.beyondtheolive.comPremium retail olive oil productsCrystal and Chip Reibel, MBA ‘09

BlogcastFM.comProven social media adviceSrinivas Rao, MBA 09

Business Simply Putwww.businesssimplyput.comStrategy and financial management

Lori Williams, MBA ‘05

Capchure LLC www.capchuresystems.comAdvertising Network for Tech Bloggers

Aaron Moskowitz, MBA ‘07

Derivataswww.derivatas.comBusiness valuation software

Geoffroy Dubuisson, MBA ’11 and Dat Do, MBA ’11

DermaShoppewww.dermashoppe.com

High-end, physician-dispensed skin care products

Jimmy Nguyen, MBA ‘09 and Patrick Leroy, MBA ‘09

DevDugal.com

Business strategy advisor; The Redwood Bar & Thirsty Pockets founder

Dev Dugal, MBA ‘04

Docstoc.com

Online document warehouse

Jason Nazar, M.B.A ’05, J.D. ‘06

FCearthwww.fcearth.com

Eco-friendly, culturally informative soccer gear and apparel

Jeff Rozic, MBA ‘06

Global Waveglobalwavegroup.com

Financial technology company

Zubin P. Mehta, MBA ‘06

Jobonomics.com

Empowering job seekers

Sameer Gupta, MBA ‘09

Jungo LLCjungotoys.com

Flickerz - Flickable flying toy discs

Michael Cheshire, MBA ‘11

Krav Maga Worldwide, Inc.kravmag-kids.com

Youth self defense

Matt Romond, MBA Candidate ‘12

Kensel & Cowww.kenselandco.com

Middle market investment services

Brendon Kensel, MBA ‘00

LaylaSinger/Songwriter/Fashionista; a music phenomenon

Darlene Kiloglu, MBA ‘11

LearnItByEar.com

MP3 audio course-oriented flashcards

Brett Fisher, MBA ‘11 and Stephen Yeoh, MBA ‘11

Linked Orange County

Networking and business connections

Bryan Elliott, MBA ‘99


THE SHORT LIST, CONTINUED

Locaxionwww.airvuegolf.com

GPS-enabled smart phone apps for golfers

Pratish Shah, EMBA ‘10 and Froi Lomotan, EMBA ‘10

Lolay, Inc.www.lolay.com

Location-based mobile apps

Bardia Dejban, MBA ‘10

LSR Lifestylewww.lsrlifestyle.com

Wholesale cigar company

Jordan Rockwell, MBA ‘10

Personal Care Physicianswww.mypersonalcarephysican.com

Troy Medley, MBA ‘03

Quantumsphere www.qsinano.com

Nano catalysts and integrated catalytic solutions

Kevin Maloney, MBA ‘02

SG Biofuels, Inc.www.sgbiofuel.com

Jatropha as a low cost, sustainably produced oil

Kirk Haney, MBA ‘95

Shadyswww.shadys.com

Custom branded canvas golf cart coverings

Jaime E. Parker, MBA ’99

Shark Bite Scubawww.sharkbitescuba.com

Maker of award-winning The Tank Dolly®

Kimberly Isaac, MBA ‘10

SkoolofLife.com

Personal Development

Srinivas Rao, MBA 09

Smile Brands Inc.www.smilebrands.com

Support services to general and multi-specialty dental groups

Steve Bilt, PKE MBA ’01

Sohvewww.solve.com

Strategic consulting

Nick Mitchell, EMBA ‘07

Superhero Enterpriseswww.superheroenterprises.com

Character-based publishing and merchandising

Davien L. Watkins, BSM ‘08

SwitchStream, LLCwww.switchstream.com

Management advisory services and venture investing

Kyle C. Murphy, MBA ‘05

TrustyMaxwww.go2socket.com

Maker of go2socket – grips bolts other sockets cannot

Tim Kim, MBA ‘10

Vedanic

Premium organic & natural skincare

Varun Khanna, MBA ’12

Webventurous.com

End-to-end web solutions

Dhaval Doshi, MBA ‘09

6100 Center Drvie | Suite 400 | Los Angeles, CA 90045 | bschool.pepperdine.edu

© PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY. All Rights Reserved. GSBM.DG.010712

LAUNCH! Magazine Winter 2012

Economy & Finance

Transcript of LAUNCH! Magazine Winter 2012