Aztec Owned: Sand Cloud

Friends Brandon Leibel (’12) and Steven Ford (’12) landed in the insurance industry after graduating from San Diego State University. An idea for a beach towel altered their career plans in a big way.

By Sumaia Wegner

SAND CLOUD STARTED with a simple idea: a beach towel with a built-in pillow. The original concept soon evolved into what is now the company’s signature product: a lightweight towel that resists sand and dries quickly. 

For fans of the reality TV show “Shark Tank,” this may sound familiar. San Diego State University alumni Brandon Leibel (’12) and Steven Ford (’12) along with business partner Bruno Aschidamini successfully pitched the product on a 2017 episode. 

The Sand Cloud owners walked away with $200,000 to fund their enterprise, and by 2018, the business had grown to $7 million in annual revenue. Sand Cloud had found its niche as a beach lifestyle brand with a mission to help conserve marine life. Fast-forward to today, after opening a store in Pacific Beach in August and with more on the way, it continues to grow with more product offerings.

“Authentic is a good word to describe them,” says Dean Rosenberg, a 1998 SDSU alumnus and one of Leibel and Ford’s mentors. “I don’t think they aspire to be the next Roxy or Billabong; I think they aspire to be the next Sand Cloud.” 

Out of college, Leibel, a theatre arts major, and Ford, a finance major, took the traditional route. Both took jobs at a life insurance company. During that time, they created a prototype for a beach towel with a built-in pillow. Aschidamini, who was a coworker at the time, became Sand Cloud’s first customer—and eventually the company’s third partner. The trio left the insurance world behind, moved in together and invested everything they had into the business. 

First, they needed customers. The young business owners targeted friends, college students and even sororities at SDSU. During that time, as the business continued to develop, the trio was applying for a spot on “Shark Tank.” By 2017, after two unsuccessful attempts, Leibel, Ford and Aschidamini found themselves on national TV pitching the idea that was born from the beaches of San Diego. 

“Take every failure as an opportunity to learn and refine as you continue on the path,” says Leibel, who now lives in Colorado with his family. “Don’t be afraid to stub people’s toes to disrupt an industry. Everyone just reinvents what’s already been done—you just need to bring your creativity and personal touch to it.” 

Sand Cloud also recognizes the importance of giving back to the ocean environment that enables its success. Sand Cloud donates a portion of profits to partner organizations that protect, rescue and study marine mammals, restore coral reefs, and much more. To date, it has donated more than $1 million. 

As a business built on innovation, Sand Cloud has expanded beyond the beach. It has developed bath towels, shower curtains and mats, sheets, blankets, bags, and, most recently, ponchos and cover-ups. It’s also about to open its third California location in Irvine. The first was Venice in 2022, followed by the Pacific Beach store in 2024. 

Sand Cloud isn’t limiting growth to just California. In the next five years, Leibel, Ford and Aschidamini hope to operate seven more stores nationally and continue to expand into Australia, Canada and South America. The products can also be found in retail stores across the nation. 

No matter how far Sand Cloud ventures into the world, Pacific Beach will always be a significant part of the story. 

“It’s the starting point from where the soil came about,” Ford says. “It is one of our biggest markets. It’s an area that we always want to stay as relevant as possible.”