LAUNCH_SUM2012

SUMMER 2012 | ISSUE NO. 6 | LAUNCH! MAGAZINE | 1l a u n c h m a g . c o
MICHAELCHESHIRE
BRYANELLIOTT
VIKASKHANNA
CESARROSAS

2 | LAUNCH! MAGAZINE| ISSUE NO. 6 | SUMMER 2012 l a u n c h m a g . c o
LAUNCH!
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. These
principles are fundamental to its
values-centered mission, which the school
and its faculty have embraced and actively
advanced for more than 40 years.
PUBLISHED BY GRAZIADIO SCHOOL OF
BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
© 2012 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 Hamilton
Ron Hall
Shutterstock.com
WHAT ANGELS WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT FINANCING YOUR
BUSINESS
ENTREPRENEURS
MICHAEL CHESHIRE
Jungo Toys
VIKAS KHANNA
Zoovee Ventures
BRYAN ELLIOTT
Linked Orange County
CESAR ROSAS
Primavera Capital
MODALMINDS
IMCOMPLI
CONTENTS
4
6
10
8
3
12
17 16
THE SHORT
LIST
NICHOLAS STANKEVICH
Founder, Aquatics Now
Swim School
14
JENKINS CHARMS
SPOTLIGHT
FEATURES

SPOTLIGHT
ModalMinds
http://www.modalminds.com
FOUNDERS
Stefan Hofmeyer, Executive MBA 2012
Adam Signaigo
FOUNDED
2011
COMPANY ADDRESS
201 Spear Street
Ste 1100
San Francisco, CA 94105
United States
INDUSTRY TYPE
Consulting Services
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES
Two
AVERAGE ANNUAL REVENUE
Confidential
PROBLEM SET OUT TO SOLVE
Organizations often struggle with the
limited choice of utilizing high priced
consulting teams, detached offshore
vendors, or constrained internal
resources to execute mission critical
process and technology initiatives.
BUSINESS IDEA/SOLUTION
Provide oversight and execute mission
critical process and projects leveraging
integration and cloud technologies that
deliver value within 90 days and
establish efficiencies for internal teams
and third party management success
COMPANY MISSION
To provide management, technology,
and process leadership that enables
businesses to realize investment goals
effectively, efficiently, and ethically
TARGET MARKET
Midsize to fortune 500 companies
completing enterprise process and
technology initiatives, M&A activities,
or project remediation
In recent years, project and
operational delivery models have
dramatically changed. Two of the most
important change factors have been the
maturation of integrated offshore
capabilities and the explosion of cloud
based services.
At modalminds, we continually evolve
our advanced services to support
innovation, modernization and core
project execution to deliver dramatic
results. We focus on high-impact,
surgical engagements to enhance—not
replace—offshore, on-premise and cloud
based assets.
Often times we see internal teams and
third party consultants in a cycle of
costly delays and sub-optimal delivery,
leading to long term business
inefficiencies and risks of business
failure.
Our business enablement services
address these challenges by implement-
ing innovative and critical programs tied
to return on investment (ROI) capture
in less than 90-days. For our clients, it is
that simple.
---------------------------
ModalMinds has two employees currently
and services clients with 10+ affiliated
consultants. In 2012 and moving forward
the firm is looking to hire full time
management and integration technologists
as we build our business.
Stefan Hofmeyer

What Angels
Want You To
KnowAbout Financing Your Business
An excerpt from the forthcoming LAUNCH! e-book Actionable
Entrepreneurship
A
ngel investors are one of the oldest sources of capital
for start-up entrepreneurs. These individuals provide
financial backing to start-up companies to initiate or
expand a business. They often fill the gap between capital
secured from friends and relatives and venture capital you
may hope to secure later in the life of your business.
Typically, angel investors look for four things before
providing capital to an entrepreneur. First, they want to
see a potential for a return; they want to make money on
their investment. Second, they expect to be involved in
your business. Third, they want to see that you have taken
specific steps to move the business along. Finally, because
they will provide funding to start the business or get it to
the next stage, they want to see a viable exit strategy that
defines how they will reap a return.
4 | LAUNCH! MAGAZINE| ISSUE NO. 5 | SPRING 2012

direction. If you can’t realistically explain the numbers that define your
business, angels will lose confidence in you.
Because angels do not want to be involved in your business forever, they
want to know both the plan and the timeline for a return on their
investment. You must clearly show the opportunity for profit—whether
that be a projected sale of shares to company principals, or a sale or
merger of the business. Do not suggest an IPO as an exit strategy. IPOs are
not only rare, but costly, and suggesting that as an exit strategy indicates
that you do not have a realistic focus on your business.
When it comes to commitment, angels are looking for more than just
a commitment to the idea. If you are asking investors to help fund your
idea, you need to show that you have a financial investment in your
business. Expect to define where your current capital is coming from. If
you are not willing and able to invest in your own business, angels will
not consider yours a serious opportunity.
What angels want you to do
If you get the opportunity to pitch to a group of angels, remember that
they want to get excited about your business idea. They want to invest in
an opportunity to make more money. Your job, during the presentation,
is to give them everything they need to feel confident about inviting you
back to for further discussion.
For the presentation, arm yourself with an executive summary and a 12-15
slide PowerPoint presentation. There should be one slide for each item
that is most interesting to investors: the problem , your solution, the
business model, the underlying magic or competitive advantage, the
marketing and sales strategy, the competition, the management team,
your financials, and the current status of the business. The PowerPoint
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.
Clearly, structuring a PowerPoint this way limits the number of words on
each screen. That’s a good thing. Investors want to hear you expand on
your idea. Your verbal presentation helps them gauge your passion. This is
your opportunity to connect with them by presenting your idea in a clear
and interesting way. They can read the screen – they want to hear the
details from you. 
What angels want you to know about their
decision-making process
It all starts with your application for funding. In the application, you will
describe yourself, your business, and your management team. Your
application will be prescreened by a panel that has domain expertise in
the area in which your business falls. They will determine if your business
has merit for investment now, whether it may have merit but need more
seasoning before they want to invest, or whether the idea is just not one
that that group of angels is interested in funding.
If your idea has merit, you will be invited to give a presentation. The
presentation is usually short – somewhere between 15 and 30 minutes.
This is your opportunity to engage the angels with the potential of your
idea. No funding comes from the presentation. Rather it is your chance
to prove the value of your idea and to demonstrate your competency, so
they will invite you back for further discussion.
Angels want you to know that they fund a very low percentage of
business ideas that pass through the review and presentation stage—
typically less than 5 percent. Of those they do fund, about 35 to 40
percent will never provide a return on the investment. Another 30 percent
will typically return the money invested, but no more. About 15 percent
will return four to five times the investment, while fewer still will be
blockbusters. There is money to be made, but angels are very discriminat-
ing in what they invest in. If they do invest in your idea, you can expect
demanding terms, not only in the percentage of ownership in the
company, but also in their actual involvement in the operation of the
company. Angels are often entrepreneurs themselves, so they expect to
not only provide funding, but to be actively involved in your business.
What angels want you to know about their focus
There are as many angels as there are different business interests. Some
angels look for tech start-ups, some look for new entertainment
enterprises, and others look for retail innovations. But no matter the type
of the business focus, they all want to see two specific things from the
entrepreneur: realism and commitment.
When you project revenue, be hardline realistic. Projecting $500,000
in the first year and then $10 million by the fourth year is a red flag to
potential investors that you do not have a reasonable business plan or

ENTREPRENEUR
MICHAEL CHESHIREJungo Toys
W
hen boyhood friends, Mike Cheshire (MBA ’11) and Tom Aiezza,
set out to create something from nothing, they invented a new
generation game from a classic pastime and called it Flickerz™,
the world’s first flickable flying discs. The first and flagship product of
Cheshire’s and Aiezza’s company, Jungo Toys, Flickerz have been described
as a cross between Frisbee discs and “bottle caps on steroids.” They are
less than two inches in diameter but can fly over 90 feet in the hands of a
skilled user.
“My business partner, Tom, and I grew up across the street from each
other back in Farmington, CT,” Cheshire explains. “We were always big
Frisbee players and enthusiastic fans of anything that could be tossed,
flown, flicked, or otherwise flung into the air. We used to invent games
and flick around different kinds of bottle caps, either at each other or at
targets we made in our backyard.”
Cheshire’s road to entrepreneurship began with a job layoff in the fall of
2008. He took the economic downturn as an opportunity to earn his MBA
at Pepperdine, taking a concentration in Entrepreneurship with a SEER
Certificate (SEER stands for Socially Environmentally and Ethically
Responsible Business Strategy).
6 | LAUNCH! MAGAZINE| ISSUE NO. 6 | SUMMER 2012

MICHAEL CHESHIRE, MBA ‘11
COMPANY NAME:
Jungo Toys
COMPANY URL:
http://www.jungo.com
LOCATION:
Los Angeles, CA
PROBLEM SET OUT TO SOLVE:
There were no products on the toy
market that were actually meant to be
flicked and could achieve the graceful
flight of a much larger
flying disc.
BUSINESS IDEA:
Create new toys from classic
pastimes, such as bottle cap flicking
and flying disc tossing.
MISSION:
Apply the concept of “Jungo”
(Latin for “bring together”) to enrich
life’s experiences and relationships by
giving people fun ways to play and
interact.
TARGET CUSTOMER:
There were no products on the toy
market that were actually meant to be
flicked and could achieve the graceful
flight of a much larger flying disc.
YEAR FOUNDED:
2011
AVG. ANNUAL REVENUE:
Conﬁdential
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES:
Two
“While in school, I had the opportunity to refine
and craft my business idea, both in and out of
the classroom. There were so many great
resources available to me at Pepperdine, from
an engaged faculty and staff to courses in
business plan writing and events like the
business plan competition. By the time I
graduated, my business idea was starting to look
like a real business. After that, there was no
turning back.”
In their entrepreneurial journey, Cheshire and
Aiezza have lived a real-life example of a
business process Cheshire learned at Pepperdine.
“This has been a journey of what Professor Larry
Cox would call ‘effectual reasoning,’” Cheshire
says. “Most people approach problem solving
with a specific goal and a given set of means for
reaching it. Using this ‘effectual reasoning,’ we
flip that process over and start with only a set of
means and, in the process, our goals gradually
emerge.”
Taking on new and exciting tasks on a regular
basis is the best part of entrepreneurship for
Cheshire. “I love getting to learn something new
each day,” Cheshire explains. “It is, in fact, the
discovery process and the learning curves
themselves that enable us to truly grasp and
understand our surroundings and to know how
to best navigate them in the future. Everything
we do in this business requires us to try and fail
at least once before succeeding. This constant
learning and relearning and navigating through
uncertainty is what I have loved most about
being an entrepreneur.”
On the other hand, knowing
when and where to spend, and
not to spend, their money has
been the greatest challenge for
the two. “We began this process
with the goal of bootstrapping
and spending as little money as
possible,” Cheshire says. “There
are some things that are really worth spending
money on. Identifying these can be a tedious
process. Ultimately, it comes down to knowing
which business functions are best outsourced
and which can be handled on your own.”
Cheshire’s choice to be an entrepreneur was a
natural outgrowth of his desire to challenge
the status quo. “I like to think that just because
something has never been done before doesn’t
mean that it can’t be done,” Cheshire continues.
“You have to have passion and a belief that you
can succeed. If you are not willing to stand up
for yourself and your ideas when people are
telling you that you are crazy, then you should
think carefully about whether entrepreneurship
is right for you.”
He advises Pepperdine students to, “first and
foremost, take full advantage of all the
wonderful resources that Pepperdine has to
offer.”
“Pitch your idea in class,” Cheshire says, “and
get as much feedback as possible. Reach out to
your alumni who are eager to help you succeed.
Enter into the business plan competition; you
will absolutely come out of it with a stronger
and more feasible plan.” 
Jungo Toys co-founder Tom Aiezza demos Flickerz™.

8 | LAUNCH! MAGAZINE| ISSUE NO. 6 | SUMMER 2012 l a u n c h m a g . c o8 | LAUNCH! MAGAZINE| ISSUE NO. 6 | SUMMER 2012
ENTREPRENEUR
BRYAN ELLIOTTLinked Orange County
S
ometimes stunning success comes out of stunning
desperation. That was the case for Bryan Elliott (BS ‘99),
who left a 15-year career in brand marketing to go it
alone in his own production company. He focused on
creating original video content and consulted with businesses
on creating marketing strategies and business plans. That move
brought happiness and success—for a while. But then the
economy fell apart and Elliott’s pipeline of clients dried up.
“My fourth child had been born a month prior to the collapse and
I started to panic,” he explains. “I felt desperate and afraid. Up to
that point, I had been spoiled with clients coming to me.”
What Elliott was lacking was a safety net and he learned a
valuable lesson. “I had never made time to network because I
had always been too busy,” he says. “Because I failed to keep my
connections warm and stay in touch with people, I didn’t have a
community to turn to for support when I needed it.”
From that desperate time came an idea: harness social networks
to make networking more efﬁcient for entrepreneurs.
“From this experience I can share an important lesson with other
entrepreneurs,” says Elliott. “When you fail, quickly get back to
work on your plan. Expect bad things to happen, but also expect
good things to happen.”

SUMMER 2012 | ISSUE NO. 6 | LAUNCH! MAGAZINE | 9l a u n c h m a g . c ol a u n c h m a g . c o
BRYAN ELLIOTT, BS ‘99
COMPANY NAME:
COMPANY URL:
http://linkedoc.com
LOCATION:
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Find an easy and effective way to educate
business people who are looking to find
ways to run a successful business and create
monthly in-person networking events.
BUSINESS IDEA:
Give business owners regular networking
opportunities and educational exposure to
world-class experts who can share expertise
and insights to solving real-world entrepre-
neurial problems.
MISSION:
Connecting. Business. People.
TARGET CUSTOMER:
Orange County businesses
YEAR FOUNDED:
2009
Confidential
One, plus 20 volunteers who help with
administration and 10 contractors who help
with web development, video production
and more
Good things did begin to happen when Elliott
created Linked Orange County, an online business
community representing the major industries in
Orange County. Once launched, the community
gained 500 members by the end of the first month.
By the end of the first year, membership stood at
5,000.
Elliott puts his whole being into the process,
planning and hosting monthly events, bringing in
industry experts, writing articles, posting informa-
tion and news, writing a newsletter, monitoring
thousands of membership requests, managing and
commenting on discussion boards on multiple
social networks, answering hundreds of daily
emails, and meeting and connecting members. The
result is that he has helped position the county as
a hub for thought leadership, savvy new media
implementation and a good place to do business.
“Linked Orange County is where members form
community and prosper,” he says. “Our goal is to
be the leading community network of businesses in
Orange County.”
Elliott does not necessarily equate membership
numbers with the success of the endeavor. Rather,
success comes from the right mix of members,
collaboration, and idea sharing.
“While there is strength in numbers, we don’t
measure value by how many members we have.
We are not keeping score of our popularity or
adding hundreds of new ‘friends’ we may never
know,” he explains. “We’re interested in people
who understand that the real value of social
networking is when it translates into meaningful
relationships of trust. This is meant to be a place
where members form a community and help each
other to prosper. It’s a place where innovation,
creativity and collaboration thrive and where
self-promotion takes a back seat to generosity.”
Today there are over 12,000 members of Linked
Orange County. Members market their products
and services on the site. They meet at
specially-coordinated networking events and have
the opportunity to hear from celebrated experts
like Seth Godin, entrepreneur and author who
focuses on marketing and on analyzing the way
ideas spread, and Gary Vaynerchuk, social media
guru and author of The Thank You Economy.
The impetus of Linked Orange County also
provided a boost to Elliot’s production company,
Behind the Brand (http://behindthebrand.tv). It
renewed Elliott’s energy, enabling him to increase
his location shoots and to create problem-solving
content for small
business owners and entrepreneurs. His interviews
and profiles of A-list companies and innovators
include Kawasaki Motors, JD Power and Associates,
Wells Fargo, actor and entrepreneur Rainn Wilson,
and pro surfer Bethany Hamilton. Episodes air on
multiple channels locally and nationally including
Cox Cable TV, Mashable.com, Entrepreneur.com,
Apple TV, Roku Box and more.
Through it all, Elliott maintains that the reason this
venture is a success is that he learned from the
failure of his first venture. “The difference
between being a victim and a survivor is your
perspective,” he says. “Survivors don’t let the
unfortunate and often tragic things that happen
stop their progression or take away their power.”


ENTREPRENEUR
VIKAS KHANNA
Zoovee Ventures
F
or Vikas Khanna (Presidents and Key Executives MBA ’11), founder and
managing director at Zoovee Ventures, life as an entrepreneur began
at the age of 18.
“I remember coming home one night from work at my first real job,”
Khanna says, “and my father said to me, ‘Why do you want to work for
someone else when you can work for yourself?’” Shortly thereafter, Khanna
quit his job and started his first company.
“My family emigrated from India in 1979. When they first arrived in the U.S.,
they held menial jobs to help get us settled. Eventually, through their hard
work, they opened businesses that I was involved in. So I guess you could say
that my entrepreneurial foundation originated through osmosis.”
Khanna has held executive corporate positions as well. He was a founding
team member of NextWeb, Inc., a VC (“venture capital”)-backed
wireless Internet service provider. During his time there, the company grew
to dominate its market segment, achieved national recognition as an Inc.
500 Company (#104 in 2005) and was acquired by Covad Communications in
2006. At Covad, Khanna was vice president of technology strategy,
developing new products and services to drive revenue growth
opportunities for the company.
“First and foremost, I live in the world of ‘and’ not ‘or’ so I don’t have to
choose between working for someone and being an entrepreneur. I’ve
been fortunate to have done both and have learned much as a result,” says
Khanna. “It doesn’t matter what role I play, but it does matter what work I
do. I focus on the opportunity, my ability to give back as part of the
process and whether the work will make a difference or not. When those
three align, the role that I’m in becomes less relevant to me.”

VIKAS KHANNA, PKE MBA ‘12
COMPANY NAME:
Zoovee Ventures
COMPANY URL:
www.zooveeventures.com
LOCATION:
Silicon Valley, CA
Help people achieve their dreams through
the free enterprise system.
BUSINESS IDEA:
Identify and work with people who have
persistence and high ambitions, and who
believe that creating is living—then, create
something together.
MISSION:
Give back and make a difference.
TARGET CUSTOMER:
Technology and healthcare companies
YEAR FOUNDED:
2010
Confidential
Confidential
Khanna’s current company, Zoovee Ventures, is a
boutique investment and business-consulting firm
based in the Silicon Valley.
“It’s about passion and focusing on what you
want,” Khanna says. “My company gets involved
because we enjoy helping true ‘early stage’
businesses, mentoring young entrepreneurs and
participating in the development of an emerging
company.”
Being an entrepreneur has been a tremendous
education for Khanna, who has learned much
about himself, the market, how to think, how to
work with others and how to make a difference in
the world.
“I have been beaten up emotionally, physically
and every way possible on the roller coaster
known as ‘entrepreneurship,’” Khanna says.
“I have celebrated success and witnessed utter
failure—all valuable lessons that have helped
shape who I am today. The most valuable aspect
of this entire journey has been staying mindful of
what’s really important in life and affirming my
life’s mission: to give back and to make a
difference. I believe that we are placed on this
great world to serve and each one of us has a
responsibility to ensure that we give back so that
we can pay it forward. That is what the circle of
life is all about.”
Living in the “VC world” of Silicon Valley taught
Khanna that having an MBA is an unspoken
requirement of being in the venture business.
That’s when he turned to Pepperdine’s Presidents
and Key Executives (PKE) MBA program.
“My time at Pepperdine was one of the best
experiences in my life,” Khanna says. “The
education, the opportunities and being surround-
ed in a shared learning environment were
invaluable. I was very fortunate to meet some
great people in the program, some of whom
where entrepreneurs, as well. I recall listening
to the inspiring story of a fellow PKE student. It
made me incredibly proud to know her and
grateful to know that through entrepreneur-
ship she is making a difference. Her vision for her
industry and her company along with her goal to
make America great again are simultaneously
audacious and inspiring. She’s amazing and a
great example of the lasting impact made when
you align entrepreneurship with the right
person.”
His advice to new students and entrepreneurs is,
“First, be fearless, be positive, and be brilliant.
Second, find the right mentor(s) to help you. You
not only are receiving their help but you are
giving them the opportunity to make a differ-
ence. Finally, don’t be afraid to try—the surest
bet you will ever make is on yourself.
William Shakespeare said it best in Measure for
Measure, ‘Our doubts are traitors, and make us
lose the good we oft might win by fearing to at-
tempt.’” 
l a u n c h m a g . c o

ENTREPRENEUR
CESAR ROSAS
Primavera Capital
M
aking a positive impact in the financial
lives of Latino business owners and
their families motivates executive-
turned-entrepreneur César Rosas (MBA ’03) to
follow his heart.
Considered an industry leader in the
micro-finance sector, Rosas saw a need to make
financial products and services available to
consumers who are un-banked and
under-banked, particularly the immigrant and
first-generation Latino population. In 2009, he
started Primavera Capital, a specialized consult-
ing and micro-finance consumer lending
company in Southern California, to meet that
need.
“I thought I’d be a banker or an executive for
a large corporation,” says Rosas. “But, working
with people and understanding their challenges
first-hand has afforded me an experience I will
never forget.”
These challenges presented themselves over the
past 18 years as Rosas served clients in retail
banking, micro-finance, capital raising,
government and regulatory compliance and
corporate finance.
12 | LAUNCH! MAGAZINE| ISSUE NO. 5 | SPRING 2012

CESAR ROSAS, MBA ‘03
COMPANY NAME:
Primavera Capital
COMPANY URL:
http://www.prima-cap.com
LOCATION:
Irvine, CA
Latino business owners find it particularly
difficult to secure funding and get necessary
business guidance.
BUSINESS IDEA:
Improve the quality of life for the entrepre-
neurial Latino lacking credit history by provid-
ing functional financial services.
MISSION:
Provide affordable capital expeditiously to
hard-working, responsible entrepreneurs and
individuals who are un-banked and under-
banked.
TARGET CUSTOMER:
Un-banked and under-banked business owner
and consumer, particularly Latinos
YEAR FOUNDED:
2009
Confidential
Two
In his role as Vice President and Senior
Commercial Lending Officer for BBVA
Bancomer U.S.A., he developed commercial
business for the State of California. As
Executive Vice President and Director of
Emerging Bank Markets for Community Bank
Ventures, LLC, Rosas developed new bank
projects on behalf of clients in the un-banked
and under-served Latino markets. He played a
key role in the start-up and capital-raising for
two De Novo Banks in Orange County, one of
which was the first Latino-focused bank. He
has also served as Consultant for DLC, Inc., a
leading financial and accounting professional
service firm in Costa Mesa, CA.
“In all those experiences, I witnessed how the
Latino business owner struggle to acquire
fundamental financing options,” he explains.
In 2007 he founded his first company, Toltec
Financial, an innovative micro-finance
company lending to the un-banked/under-
served Latino segment. When he sold the
company to Highland’s Premier in February
2009, he launched Primavera Capital.
“I’ve been excited about the experience of
becoming an entrepreneur,” says Rosas. “But
positively impacting several small businesses
has been even more significant to me. Most of
my prior corporate jobs did not afford me the
opportunity to serve these communities.”
Part of what inspires Rosas on a day- to-day
basis is the opportunity to meet and work with
smart, dedicated people who have a good idea
for a business, or who want to expand their
established business .
“We don’t just want to lend money to make
business entities possible for our clients,” he
continues. “We strive to educate our
customers by encouraging smart borrowing.”
Entrepreneurship has affected more than the
communities Primavera Capital helps.
“I have a naturally positive outlook on life, so
I see more benefits than risks involved in being
an entrepreneur,” he says. “Certainly one of
the best personal gains for me is having more
time to spend with my family.”
Rosas credits his experiences at the Graziadio
School of Business and Management as key to
his decision to become an entrepreneur.
“I really owe my success as an entrepreneur to
my education at Pepperdine,” Rosas says.
“I learned something from every professor,
which has contributed to me being a leader
today.”
His advice for other Pepperdine students who
are interested in entrepreneurship has become
his mantra in life: “Follow your heart and
never, ever give up!” 

Diane Jenkins Charms 2012
Pepperdine Business Plan
Competition
A
fter winning Pepperdine’s Fast Pitch Competition
at Entrepreneur’s Journey in January, Fully
Employed MBA student Diane Jenkins’ Charm
Alarm took first place in finals for the 2012 Pepperdine
Business Plan Competition this spring.
Business plans by full-time MBA students Monica Hwang
and Rachel Siok, Mint Modernization, and law school
student Isaac Agyeman, Cite Anything, were so good that
judges awarded a tie for second-place to both, determin-
ing to forego the traditional third-place runner-up
category for the first time in the competition’s seven year
history.
“We were impressed with all the plans and the students’
thoroughness,” said Jason Nazar (MBA/JD ‘06),
co-founder and CEO of Docstoc.com, who judged the
competition alongside Soctt Alderton, founding partner
of Stubbs, Alderton & Markiles; Brad Fornaciari, founder
and CEO of Lighthouse Branding; George T. Hadjis, CEO
of Oggi’s Pizza & Brewing Company; Scott Jarus, chairman
and CEO of Ironclad Performance Wear Corp.; John Wan-
der, CEO of CHNL, Inc. and David Wells, CFO of Sionix.
The panel praised the students for the inventiveness of
their ideas and skillful presentations.

With Charm Alarm, Diane Jenkins earned
the competition’s $10,000 grand prize. Her
award-winning venture offered a fashionable
theft-prevention bracelet that sounds an alarm
should you and your purse or wallet become
separated by a few feet.
The expert panel of judges agreed that Charm
Alarm has a greater potential for growth than
the presentation proposed. Marketer Brad
Fornaciari said the business idea is bigger than
jewelry and could easily translate into products
addressing a variety of personal security issues.
Judge Scott Alderton encouraged Jenkins to
investigate how she might add a recurring
revenue component to her plan.
With Cite Anything, Isaac Agyeman placed
second in January’s Fast Pitch Competition. He
again presented a business plan for a software
product that would allow customers to cite any
source in a document accurately and automati-
cally—perfect for lawyers writing a brief or
students crafting research papers.
Monica Hwang and Rachel Siok pitched Mint
Modernization, a business plan that markets a
line of “animal kingdom” scooping wands for
getting at the remains in bottles such as lo-
tions and other packaged goods.
Cite Anything and Mint Modernization were
each awarded $3,750, the remaining cash
purse.
The competition’s Socially Minded
Entrepreneur Award was given to the team of
Jason Locklin and Jason Orbison, students in
the MBAJ and BSM programs respectively.
Out of the 33 business plans that entered the
competition, the pair’s venture Imcompli was
singled out by the Graziadio School’s Values-
Centered Leadership Lab, a student-run
organization dedicated to furthering corporate
social responsibility and ethics in business.
Incompli is a storm water and erosion control
company whose proprietary software
dramatically reduces the carbon footprint and
costs of environmental compliance for contrac-
tors, builders, engineers, and municipalities. The
Socially Minded Entrepreneur Award includes a
$1,000 cash prize.
The students each received additional gifts from
sponsors Gaiam and Dun & Bradstreet Credibility
Corp.
The Pepperdine Business Plan Competition is
held annually by the Graziadio School of Busi-
ness and Management and The Palmer Center
for Entrepreneurship and The Law at the School
of Law. 
Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp., Gaiam,
MyCorporation and Burton Morgan Foundation
graciously contributed sponsorship.
ISAAC AGYEMAN
RACHEL SIOK AND MONICA HWANG

THE SHORT LIST
American Love Affair
AmericanLoveAffairOnline.com
Denim and fashion apparel
Noelle Nguyen, PKE MBA ’12
Anedot
anedot.com
Optimizing the way we give
Paul Dietzel, MBA/MPP ’11
Aquatics Now
www.aquaticsnow.net/
Swm school for your child
Nicholas Stankevich, MBA ‘13
Artful Gentleman
www.artfulgentleman.com
Men’s fashion done better
Jake Wall, MBA ‘08
Behind the Brand
behindthebrand.tv
Expert insight to grow your
business
Bryan Elliott, MBA ‘99
Beyond the Olive
www.beyondtheolive.com
Premium retail olive oil
products
Crystal and Chip Reibel, MBA
‘09
Bizible
bizible.com/Small-Business-
Marketing-SEO
SaaS marketing for local
businesses
Aaron Bird, MBA
Blindbid
www.blindbid.com
Bid for leads instead of share
them
Michael O’Hare, MBA ‘09
BlogcastFM.com
Proven social media advice
Srinivas Rao, MBA 09
Business Simply Put
www.businesssimplyput.com
Strategy and financial
management
Lori Williams, MBA ‘05
Capchure LLC
www.capchuresystems.com
Advertising Network for Tech
Bloggers
Aaron Moskowitz, MBA ‘07
EndPlay
endplay.com
Web content management
solutions
Christos M. Cotsakos, MBA ‘83
DeJant Group Corp.
www.dejant.com
Natural aphrodisiac drink
Omid Semino, MBA
Derivatas
www.derivatas.com
Business valuation software
Dat Do, MBA ’11 and Geoffroy
Dubuisson, MBA ’11
DermaShoppe
www.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
FCearth
www.fcearth.com
Eco-friendly, culturally
informative soccer gear and
apparel
Jeff Rozic, MBA ‘06
Global4PL
www.global-4pl.com
Supply chain solutions
Sergio Retamal, MS ‘04
Global Wave
globalwavegroup.com
Financial technology
company
Zubin P. Mehta, MBA ‘06
identifiDesign
identifidesign.com
Taking brand communica-
tions to the next level
Nick Norris, MBA ‘09
Jobonomics.com
Empowering job seekers
Sameer Gupta, MBA ‘09
Jungo LLC
jungotoys.com
Flickerz - Flickable flying toy
discs
Michael Cheshire, MBA ‘11
Krav Maga Worldwide,
Inc.
kravmag-kids.com
Youth self defense
Matt Romond, MBA ‘12
Kensel & Co
www.kenselandco.com
Middle market investment
services
Brendon Kensel, MBA ‘00
Layla
Singer/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
Networking and business con-
nections
Bryan Elliott, MBA ‘99
Locaxion
www.airvuegolf.com
GPS-enabled smart phone apps
for golfers
Pratish Shah, EMBA ‘10
Lolay, Inc.
www.lolay.com
Location-based mobile apps
Bardia Dejban, MBA ‘10
LSR Lifestyle
www.lsrlifestyle.com
Wholesale cigar company
Jordan Rockwell, MBA ‘10
Markex Global
www.markexglobal.com
Strategetic international trade
Kasra Ferasat, MBA ‘10
MindFire Inc.
www.mindfireinc.com
Personalized cross-media
marketing solutions
David Rosendahl, BSM, ’05
Personal Care Physicians
www.mypersonalcarephysi-
can.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
Shadys
www.shadys.com
Custom branded canvas golf
cart coverings
Jaime E. Parker, MBA ’99
Shark Bite Scuba
www.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
Sohve
www.solve.com
Strategic consulting
Nick Mitchell, EMBA ‘07
Superhero Enterprises
www.superheroenterprises.com
Character-based publishing and
merchandising
Davien L. Watkins, BSM ‘08
SwitchStream, LLC
www.switchstream.com
Management advisory services
and venture investing
Kyle C. Murphy, MBA ‘05
TrustyMax
www.go2socket.com
Maker of go2socket – grips
bolts other sockets cannot
Tim Kim, MBA ‘10
Vedanic
www.vedanic.com
Premium organic & natural
skincare
Varun Khanna, MBA ’12
Webventurous.com
End-to-end web solutions
Dhaval Doshi, MBA ‘09
BUY GRAZIADIO AND SUPPORT ENTREPRENEURS

SUMMER 2012 | ISSUE NO. 6 | LAUNCH! MAGAZINE | 17l a u n c h m a g . c o SUSUMMMMERER 22010122 || ISISSUSUEE NONO.. 66 || LALAUNUNCHCH!! MAMAGAGAZIZINENE || 1717l al a u nu n c hc h m am a g .g . c oc o
SPOTLIGHT
Incompli, Inc
http://www.incompli.com
FOUNDER
Jason Locklin, Joint BSM/MBA 2012
FOUNDED
2012
COMPANY ADDRESS
23034 Lake Forest Drive. Suite B
Laguna Hills, CA 92653
United States
INDUSTRY TYPE
Consulting Services
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES
Six
AVERAGE ANNUAL REVENUE
Confidental
PROBLEM SET OUT TO SOLVE
Massive amounts of resources are used
up trying to comply with strict
environmental regulations. Laws are
confusing and difficult to manage.
Companies are spending and being
fined billions of dollars as a result of
these regulations.
BUSINESS IDEA/SOLUTION
Use technology and innovation to
provide efficient solutions to the
problem of complying with environ-
mental regulations. With our solutions,
companies can save time, money, and
still maintain maximum compliance to
protect the environment.
COMPANY MISSION
Simplifying Environmental Compliance
TARGET MARKET
Construction Firms, Municipalities,
Large Gas Exploration Companies, Large
Retailers, and any other business that
must manage the burden of
environmental compliance.
Incompli is in the process of developing
ground breaking cloud based software
that will save the construction industry
massive amounts of man-power while
increasing their compliance.

LAUNCH_SUM2012

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