Former college roommates Steven Ford and Brandon Leibel, while living in San Diego and working for an insurance company, envisioned starting a business together. The idea emerged during a day at the beach when they thought about attaching pillows to beach towels. Coworker Bruno Aschidamini joined them in this venture despite their lack of entrepreneurial experience. They left their jobs to develop their business plan.
Their initial concept evolved into a fast-drying towel made from 100% Turkish Organic cotton that repels sand. "Because the material is flat-woven, sand doesn’t get stuck in the towel’s fibers, so you can just give it a shake and the sand falls right out," said Ford.
The trio appeared on Shark Tank in 2017, securing $200,000 from investor Robert Herjavec. Sand Cloud has grown significantly since then, with sales exceeding $45 million in 2024. While towels remain their best-selling product, Sand Cloud has expanded its line to include resort wear.
Ford, Leibel, and Aschidamini emphasize innovation and adaptation to industry changes as key to their success. They use the Capital One Spark Plus Cash card for unlimited 2% cash back rewards to support research and development as well as team-building activities.
Expanding Sand Cloud's physical presence beyond California by opening more retail stores is a current priority. "It’s important that our customers have the opportunity to interact with us in person," said Leibel.
The cash back rewards from their Spark Cash Plus card help offset store-opening costs. "We really like the fact that our rewards are in the form of cash back, which gives us the flexibility to grow Sand Cloud the way we want to grow it," said Aschidamini.
Sand Cloud also uses cash back rewards for an annual retreat in San Diego for over 30 remote employees focusing on team building activities and beach cleanup events.
With a commitment to sustainability and conservation, Sand Cloud donates 10% of all profits to marine conservation efforts. "We came up with the idea of the brand while hanging out on the beach, and the beach is such a special place for us," said Aschidamini.
Capital One Business provides financial products tailored for small businesses including credit cards with unlimited rewards aimed at supporting entrepreneurs like those at Sand Cloud.