Pepperdine University · First cohort, Fall 2026
Waves’ Founders, building the future of humanity.
The Waves Innovation Accelerator finds and supports Pepperdine students and recent alumni who want to build companies for the betterment of society, and helps them carry those ventures from first idea to the venture capital table.
Our mission
We bridge the gap between early-stage innovation and venture capital, with a startup ecosystem built on ethically-driven leadership.
WIA was launched by Pepperdine alumni Bryan Pereboom, Ulysse Saltiel and Dan Wright, together with Seaver College Professor Fabien Scalzo. It exists to identify and support the next generation of Waves’ Founders.
Fellows get a place to meet and trade ideas, access to computing resources, and mentorship from people who have built companies themselves. They also get the advantage of an engaged Pepperdine network that wants them to succeed.
The program
One season, from idea to investor panel.
The selected cohort moves through workshops and venture building labs with guided mentorship the whole way. The season ends with each team presenting its venture.
Selection
Pepperdine students and recent alumni apply with an idea, a skill set, or both. A small cohort is chosen.
Workshops
Hands-on sessions on the fundamentals of starting a company: customers, product, teams, funding and leadership.
Venture building labs
Teams turn ideas into working ventures, test them with real users, and use shared computing resources to build.
Final presentation
Teams present their ventures to a panel of advisors, university leadership and venture capital partners.
Academic credit available. Students can apply for credit through their school’s internship program.
What fellows get
Everything a first venture needs, in one place.
Ideas need room to grow. WIA gives fellows the people, the tools and the time to build something that lasts.
A place to build
A shared space where fellows meet, exchange ideas and work alongside other founders.
Computing resources
Access to the compute that modern products, from AI models to data-heavy apps, depend on.
Guided mentorship
Regular guidance from founders, investors and faculty who have been where fellows are going.
An engaged network
A distinct institutional advantage: Pepperdine alumni, advisors and venture capital partners who show up for Waves founders.
Academic credit
Students can apply for credit through their school’s internship program, so the work counts toward their degree.
Fall 2026 cohort
Meet the founding fellows.
Fourteen Pepperdine students and recent alumni make up the first WIA cohort. Each portrait below is a unique wave field drawn from the fellow’s name.
Founders
Started by Waves, for Waves.
Three alumni and a Seaver College professor launched WIA to give the next generation of Pepperdine founders the start they wish they’d had.
Mentors
Guided by people who have built.
Founders, operators and investors from the WIA network work with fellows through the workshops, the venture building labs and one-on-one mentorship, all the way to the final presentation.
Bring your idea
What will you build?
Bring the problem you can’t stop thinking about. These are the kinds of ventures that serve people well.
Applications closed · Fall 2026
The first wave is in.
The founding cohort has been selected, and applications for the Fall 2026 program are now closed. Thank you to every Pepperdine student and alumnus who applied. Fourteen fellows are now building their ventures toward the final presentation.
- StatusCohort selected. Applications are closed.
- WhoPepperdine students and recent alumni
- FormatWorkshops, venture building labs and guided mentorship
- FinalePresent to advisors, university leadership and VC partners
- CreditAvailable through each school’s internship program
- SeasonFall 2026, with 14 fellows