Hayden Fulstone ’10 owes a lot to LMU. It’s where he met his best friends and future business partners. It’s where his idea for an innovative rehydration beverage took off. It’s where his passion for helping people intensified. In short, LMU played a significant role in Hayden’s development and success as an entrepreneur.
In 2012, at the age of 24, he co-founded Liquid I.V. with fellow LMU alums Brandin Cohen ’10 and Cameron Killeen ’10. At the time, the friends noticed a trend in adults drinking Pedialyte – a beverage marketed for children – to cure hangovers and fight dehydration. A void in the marketplace for a healthy way for adults to hydrate was the catalyst for Liquid I.V.
LMU Entrepreneurship Professor David Choi caught wind of their promising business and invited Liquid I.V. to be a part of the inaugural class of startups in the Business Incubator, which set the wheels in motion.
“The Business Incubator was an integral part of our initial growth,” said Hayden. “We learned so much from Dr. Choi about how to launch a business. And the students who worked on Liquid I.V. helped build the basic business structure, coordinated sampling events, and devised a plan to get the product to market.”
After many years of hard work scaling the business, Liquid I.V. was acquired by Unilever in October 2020.
Now that Hayden has reached a level of success that many dream of but few actually achieve, he’s ready to give back to his alma mater in the most impactful way. Hayden is thrilled to be able to provide a full-tuition scholarship to an incoming LMU entrepreneurship student.
“I wanted to give back to LMU because that’s where it all started,” said Hayden. “If not for LMU and Professor Choi, Liquid I.V. wouldn’t exist. I want to help others get through school and give them a similar experience that I had.”
Giving back was instilled in Hayden at an early age by his mom and dad. He grew up on a ranch in Nevada and comes from a long line of agripreneurs. Helping people and having a strong work ethic are in his DNA. While attending high school in Santa Barbara, he was quickly sold on California as a place to stay for college.
“I fell in love with Southern California – the weather, the lifestyle, the diverse culture,” said Hayden. “Growing up in a small town, I wanted to be in a big city. Los Angeles is such a melting pot with a lot of exciting stuff going on. It’s just full of possibility.”
Today, Hayden is a business advisor with Cultivate Advisors where he helps a variety of startups and small businesses achieve their sales, marketing and financial goals. He’s carved out a niche in the health and wellness space and is always looking to create sustainable products that have a positive social impact. For someone who finds joy in helping people solve their toughest business challenges, this is the perfect role for Hayden.
“I love to inspire and motivate,” he says. “And the companies I’m advising inspire me. These are hardworking entrepreneurs who are developing amazing products. I get so much fulfillment by helping people. It’s a big part of my purpose.”
Looking back on his many triumphs and tribulations, Hayden’s advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is to simply start.
“Don’t be afraid to start and take it in bite-sized chunks. Dream small because big dreams and goals can be daunting. Just start, figure it out and adjust as you go.”
If you’re interested in learning about ways to support our mission of the College of Business Administration and help make our student experience second to none, please contact Roberta Kuhlman, senior director of development, at Roberta.Kuhlman@lmu.edu.
