Trailblazing Entrepreneurs Unite

Alumni Michael Persall ’02 and Joe Kudla ’00 Provide $2M gift to establish Entrepreneurship Leadership Summit

At the University of San Diego (USD) 75th Anniversary Founders Gala in November, alumni Michael Persall ’02 and Joe Kudla ’00 announced a $2 million commitment to USD to establish a new Entrepreneurship Leadership Summit in partnership with the university’s Knauss School of Business.

Persall is a member of the USD Board of Trustees, owner and chairman of C3bank, and founder and chairman of ABP Capital. Kudla is founder of Vuori, one of the fastest growing premium activewear brands in the world inspired by the coastal California lifestyle. The pair met at USD and, since graduating, have formed deep relationships with faculty members and fellow alumni. 

The inaugural Summit will take place in 2025 at the Vuori headquarters in Encinitas with a select group of business leaders. The event will feature a keynote address by Drew Brees, former quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, philanthropist, entrepreneur and member of the C3bank Board of Directors. 

At the Founders Gala, Persall and Kudla shared their personal stories and facilitated a paddle raise for those in attendance to join them at the Summit as inaugural attendees for $25,000 each.

As the new Summit takes root, Persall and Kudla’s gift will further expand entrepreneurship programming at USD and inspire future leaders who can follow in the footsteps of the pair's success. 

For more information on the Entrepreneurship Leadership Summit or to learn more about joining the 2025 Summit as a founding attendee, please contact Dr. Rick Virgin, Vice President for Advancement, at vpadvancement@sandiego.edu or Sandie Ciallella ’84 (Law), Associate Vice President for Development, sciallella@sandiego.edu.

— USD News Center