Bethel University is set to host the fifth annual Starting Small Summit on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. The event will take place from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Everest-Rohrer Auditorium located on Bethel University’s campus. Doors open at 8:30 a.m. Tickets for the event will be $50. Those who register by Dec. 1 get 20% off with code “SSS2620”! To learn more and register, visit Starting Small Summit.
The Starting Small Summit provides the South Bend/Mishawaka community with an opportunity to learn from high-profile entrepreneurs from around the nation. Moderated by Bethel University business alumnus Cameron Nagle, founder and host of Starting Small Podcast, this year’s summit will feature entrepreneurial stories from Jamie Schmidt, founder of Schmidt’s Naturals; Sam Rockwell, co-founder and CEO of Happi Co.,; Cordell Brodis, co-founder and creative director of Dr. Bombay’s Ice Cream; and Shawn D. Nelson, founder and ECO of Lovesac.
“This year will be our fifth year of hosting the Starting Small Summit and it’s humbling to see the tremendous impact it continues to make on the community’s outlook on entrepreneurship and innovation. Seeing students, leaders ad teams leave inspired is our top priority. This year’s panel truly reflects the philosophy of Starting Small and will offer such a diverse conversation from the best in their respective categories,” says Nagle.
About the Speakers
Jamie Schmidt, founder of Schmidt’s Naturals – Jamie Schmidt is the founder of Schmidt’s Naturals and is known for modernizing natural personal care products, bringing them to the mainstream market. Under her leadership, Schmidt’s grew from her kitchen into a household name, lining the shelves of major retailers across 30 countries. In 2017, Schmidt’s was acquired by CPG giant Unilever. Jamie is the author of Supermaker: Crafting Business on Your Own Terms, a personalized guide on how to put your business on the map, turning your passion into profit. She is also an investor and co-owner of Color Capital, a fund that invests in consumer products and emerging technologies.
Sam Rockwell, Co-Founder & CEO, Happi Co. – Sam Rockwell is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Happi Co., a modern food company creating culturally relevant frozen meals, desserts, and snacks. Happi Co.’s portfolio includes Laughing Tiger, an authentic pan-Asian frozen meal line, as well as private brand partnerships and licensed products distributed nationally. Sam is also the co-founder of Dr. Bombay Ice Cream, a culturally iconic ice cream brand developed in partnership with entertainment icon Snoop Dogg and Lil Baby. Most recently, Sam co-founded SlapSnacks with UFC President Dana White, a disruptive frozen snacking brand designed to reinvent the legacy Hot Pockets category with bold, high-protein offerings.
Sam began his entrepreneurial journey while a student at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Business, where he graduated with honors with a BBA in Risk Management and Insurance. While in school, he co-founded WaffleWaffle, which grew into a national retail business and ultimately evolved into Happi Co., the company’s current operating name.
Under Sam’s leadership, Happi Co. has generated over $100 million in sales, launched multiple brands and built strategic partnerships with leading retailers including Walmart, Kroger, Sam’s Club, Costco, Meijer, Wakefern, Albertsons/Safeway, 7-Eleven, Restaurant Brands International and many more. In 2020, Happi Co. led the development of One Bite Frozen Pizza, one of the first celebrity-led frozen food brands in the U.S., launched in partnership with Barstool Sports. The product line was developed under license by Happi Co. and served as a key proof point in bringing cultural relevance and personality into the frozen aisle.
In 2022, Sam co-founded Dr. Bombay Ice Cream with Snoop Dogg and Cordell Broadus, a brand that merges bold flavor and hip-hop culture into a lifestyle-driven dessert line.
Outside of work, Sam is an instrument-rated pilot with over 3,500 hours of flight time and often serves as Happi Co.’s and Dr. Bombay’s corporate pilot. He is also a former semi-professional soccer player and avid fitness enthusiast.
Cordell Broadus, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Dr. Bombay Ice Cream – Cordell Broadus is the son of entertainment icon Snoop Dogg and has built a distinctive career with a clear focus on entrepreneurship, branding and innovation. After a highly-ranked high school football career and an early commitment to UCLA, he made the deliberate choice to shift from athletics to business and creative ventures.
He serves as Creative Director and co-founder of Dr. Bombay Ice Cream, a consumer-products brand launched with his father that leverages bold flavors and strong branding to stand out in the freezer aisle. The brand reportedly surpassed $10 million in revenue within its first year.
Beyond ice cream, Cordell is active across multiple sectors: he heads a portfolio under the moniker Champ Medici Group, which invests in Web3 companies, gaming and consumer-goods; he partnered with a Singapore-based firm to launch a Web3 fund (targeting USD $40-$50 million) focused on early-stage blockchain businesses. He also co-founded a gaming venture, Death Row Games, aimed at providing creator-led platforms in underserved markets.
Shawn D. Nelson, Founder and CEO of Lovesac – Shawn D. Nelson is the founder and CEO of Lovesac, repeatedly recognized as the fastest growing furniture brand in the US for over a decade. Lovesac is publicly traded on Nasdaq, ticker “LOVE,” and is projected to exceed $1 Billion in annual sales over the next few years, leveraging its rapidly growing fleet of more than 300 Lovesac-branded retail locations. From humble beginnings, Shawn founded Lovesac in 1998, making Sacs by hand for neighbors and friends while in college. He graduated from the University of Utah in 2001 with a BA in Mandarin Chinese before opening Lovesac’s first retail location in his hometown of Salt Lake City shortly after graduation. In 2005 Shawn won a million-dollar investment by Richard Branson on his prime time hit reality TV show, The Rebel Billionaire, and was named acting President of Virgin Worldwide for a time. Shawn later achieved his Master’s degree in Strategic Design and Management at the world-famous Parsons, The New School for Design in New York City and continued on as an instructor there for a few years teaching courses on Sustainable Business Models, Leadership, and Innovation. Shawn now holds over 50 issued patents across multiple product categories with dozens more pending. The majority of Lovesac’s sales today are driven by the ever-expanding product platform called “Sactionals,” the world’s most versatile couch and myriad Sactionals product extensions, including embedded technology. Lovesac’s continued success is underscored by Shawn’s unique design philosophy, “Designed For Life”, which demands that products are built to last a lifetime and designed to evolve — promoting things that actually sustain to achieve true sustainability. This drives Lovesac’s strategy and animates its vibrant culture. Shawn’s recent book, “Let Me Save You 25 Years,” celebrates Lovesac’s colorful history, and the many “mistakes, miracles, and lessons” learned along the way. Shawn lives in St. George, Utah with his wife, Tiffany, and their four kids, two cats, and one crazy dog.
Cameron Nagle, Starting Small – Cameron Nagle, a 2022 Bethel University graduate, Starting Small in January 2020 with the vision to share transparent startup stories to inspire and provide guidance for aspiring entrepreneurs that everyone starts small. Through a credible and fast-growing list of recognizable brands, Starting Small has scaled to host the annual Starting Small Summit, flying in founders such as Reebok, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Kodiak Cakes, and more. Starting Small has now covered the stories of 270 industry leading founders, amassing over $40 billion in annual revenue. In March 2025, Cameron released his first book on Amazon, “Starting Small: The Raw Truth Behind Entrepreneurship and the American Dream”.
In 2022, Cameron relocated to LA to launch brain wellness startup, MOSH alongside co-founders Maria Shriver and Patrick Schwarzenegger, as the third member of the founding team. In their first year, MOSH generated +$6M in revenue, released four new flavor launches, and activated growth campaigns with Delta airlines, A-list celebrities and more. In 2023, Cameron also applied for Schwarzenegger and Shriver to go on ABC’s Shark Tank, in which you can see that appearance in Season 15. Cameron resides in Elkhart, Ind., working as a brand manager at Whirlpool Corporation. Relocating back to his roots was a long-term decision for the growth of Starting Small and the summit locally, and to make an impact on the entrepreneurship ecosystem here in the Michiana community.