Pepperdine University Announces Waves Innovation Accelerator

Pepperdine University has launched its Waves Innovation Accelerator in partnership with Armada to help students and alumni develop startup companies through mentorship, venture-building support, and connections with investors and industry leaders.

The accelerator was publicly announced today by Jim Gash (JD ’93), Pepperdine president and CEO, and Dan Wright (’06), Armada’s cofounder and CEO during a fireside chat at Impact 250, a national convening in Washington, DC, of top founders, investors, pioneers, and policymakers to outline the next era of American leadership and innovation.

“Pepperdine has long been committed to equipping our students to become leaders of greater purpose, and the Waves Innovation Accelerator is an exciting and vital new step in that same direction,” said Gash. “We are incredibly grateful for Dan Wright and the other leaders who will be investing in our students, and we look forward to seeing how those students will go out and change the world.”

The Waves Innovation Accelerator will guide selected participants—founders—through real-world startup development, from initial ideation to building and launching their company, with mentorship from seasoned entrepreneurs and industry experts. Mentors will include those with expertise in AI, software, robotics, products, healthcare, biology, neuroscience, and finance. 

The initiative was cofounded by Wright, Fabien Scalzo, associate professor of computer science at Pepperdine and director of the Keck Data Science Institute, Ulysse Saltiel (’25), a Pepperdine alumnus who works at Armada, and Bryan Pereboom (JD ’12). Over the course of the academic year, participants will work closely with mentors in an immersive learning environment that combines weekly seminars, venture-building, and guided-mentorship sessions. 

“We need more builders who are grounded in the core tenets Pepperdine instills in every student: purpose, service, and leadership,” said Saltiel. “The success of that effort is defined not only by what we accumulate from the world, but by what we contribute to it. The Waves Innovation Accelerator will give mission-driven founders the mentorship, resources, and community to transform consequential ideas into enduring companies capable of changing the world for the better.”

Students participating in the Accelerator program will retain full intellectual property rights to the companies and products they develop through the program—a distinguishing approach that sets this program apart. 

“The accelerator will provide a unique ecosystem to support student entrepreneurship across all Pepperdine schools,” Scalzo added. “It will also facilitate student transition from academia to the professional world by fostering partnerships with key industry leaders.”   

Toward the close of the 2026-27 spring semester, the program will culminate in a founders showcase, held at the Waves Innovation Summit at Pepperdine’s Malibu campus on March 20, 2027, where participants will present their ventures to leaders in innovation, mission-aligned partners, and the broader Pepperdine community.

"Pepperdine University helped me see the world, and my purpose in it more clearly,” said Wright. "It shaped me and pushed me to think about the things that matter deeply in life. The Waves Innovation Accelerator will support the next generation of mission-driven founders in their most formative years as they identify the most impactful problems to solve.”

Applications are currently open to current students and alumni. Each will be reviewed on a rolling basis.