F R O M I D A H O T O H AWA I I , A N D H P U T O S U LTA N V E N T U R E S … M Y J O U R N E Y

F R O M : A U G 2 0 0 3 - A P R 2 0 1 6photo: Chase Norton

R E F L E C T I O N ‘ S

T H I S P R E S E N TAT I O N W A S A D A P T E D F R O M A S P E E C H I G AV E T O T H E M B A C L U B O F H A W A I I PA C I F I C U N I V E R S I T Y I N A P R I L 2 0 1 6 .

T H A N K S J O H A N N A & I D I L I A !

A L O H A ! I ’ M L U K E

• I work with startups at Sultan Ventures and XLR8UH.

• I founded 2 companies: Aloha Squared and Blue Photo Stories.

• I blog at: luketucker.com

• Follow me on Twitter: @luketucker

W H AT I S A N E N T R E P R E N E U R ?

I ’ D L I K E T O S TA RT O F F W I T H A Q U E S T I O N …

H E R E A R E S O M E Q U A L I T I E S O F A N E N T R E P R E N E U R I W A N T T O H I G H L I G H T T H R O U G H O U T A S “ L E S S O N S L E A R N E D ” D U R I N G T H I S R E F L E C T I O N P R O C E S S

Talent

Awareness

Curiosity

TenacityO T H E R S I N C L U D E : H U M I L I T Y, C O A C H A B I L I T Y, I N T E G R I T Y ( B U T T H E R E ’ S N O G O O D A C R O N Y M F O R A L L T H O S E ! : )

S O L E T ’ S G E T S TA R T E D !

M Y C A R E E R T I M E L I N E

2007

2013

2014

2015

H P U Y E A R S

2 0 0 3 - 2 0 0 7

2007

2013

2014

2015

First, let me answer,

Why did I move from Idaho to Hawaii?

U H , W H Y N O T H AWA I I ? ?

But, Seriously,

There were 4 reasons:

I wanted to go somewhere culturally diverse.1

These guys all rock! And look nothing like me (LOL)! Experiencing new people, gives you a greater

appreciation for life and, very important, empathy!

I wanted to start fresh and go where I didn’t know anybody.

I had a great family and friend support structure, but I knew I wanted to test myself and see somewhere new and different.

photo: Salome Jones

2

I wanted to go somewhere warm.

Ever since I lived in Jamaica when I was young, I’d longed to go back to the tropics (just ask my parents).

Cruisin in Jamaica!3

I wanted to learn to surf.

Because it looked amazing!

Not me! (I wish)

4

T H I S I S M E …

… C H A R G I N G A 2 F T W AV E

T H I S W A S A T Y P I C A L C O N V E R S AT I O N I H A D W I T H E V E R Y P E R S O N I M E T I N T H E F I R S T 7 - M O N T H S O F 2 0 0 3 :

Person: Where you going to school?

Me: Hawaii Pacific University

Person: Hawaii, like the country?!?

Me: Hawaii, like the 50th State. And yes, that’s where I’m going.

Person: [blank incredulous stare]

A N D I T R E A L LY I S PA R A D I S E

• Being in Hawaii was a dream come true

• And, I enjoyed it… Took 12 credits (min full time course load), learned to surf, worked part-time, met awesome people, had fun and experienced life!

That’s me! On the Kalalau Hike in Kauai

F R O M P L AY I N G H A R D T O W O R K I N G H A R D …

• Things started shifting though in late 2004 when my more ambitious feelings began churning (I think it was those competitive high school years pursuing the valedictorian crown)

• I did two things primarily since my coursework was lighter: I learned how to salsa dance from a world-renown pro (thank you Jerome!), and I joined a business club on campus called SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise).

J O I N I N G S T U D E N T S I N F R E E E N T E R P R I S E

• Best choice I made in college

• Presented at Nationals 2-years

• Ran businesses and education endeavors, worked with key partners, storytelling, pitching, fundraising… a microcosm of a startup

M E E T I N G E VA N L E O N G

• GGR internship

• Graduated early:

• 63-credits in 11-months

• Led to first job

• Relationships are highly correlated with success

L E S S O N S ?

• Curiosity - rarely it doesn’t pay off. Tact in getting credit for my internships and successfully graduating.

_________________________________________________

• The dark side? I was lazy and didn’t get my act into gear, as I was too busy playing. Moral of the story: don’t wait 2 and 1/2 years before you put the petal to the metal. And… it came at a price: I ended up getting shingles the summer after. And it was probably the loneliest time in my life.

C P B2 0 0 7 - 2 0 1 0

2007

2013

2014

2015

L E A R N I N G T H E R O P E S

From L to R: Kevin Matsuura, Scott Nojiri, Luke Tucker, Paul Vella, Chris Yasuma

Management Trainee (hired 11/17/16)

Loan Underwriter: Joined Hawaii Commercial Banking Group in Sep/Oct 2007

Me when I still had hair!

It was a special time in banking… Bear Sterns, Countrywide, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers, GM / Auto bailouts, Madoff, subprime mortgage crisis, unparalleled zero interest rate environment… tons of craziness in capital markets and economy.

And it truly was a crazy time in our country… the election was in full swing and right in the midst of it the markets were unravelling.

A L O N G W AY F R O M N Y C , B U T I N H A W A I I W E W E R E F E E L I N G T H E C R U N C H

CPB was hit really hard about 9-12 months after the 2008 bloodbath. A $1B CRE exposure in California and tons of C&D Loans in Hawaii meant bad news.

G R E AT T I M E T O B E A B A N K E R

• At the end of 2009, the TR for CPB was 116% and it got even higher after that.

• I distinctly remember sitting in my cubicle calculating financial ratios to determine the health of our Bank. It was not uncommon for us to find out weekly that more employees had left the bank.

W I L L I H AV E A J O B T O M O R R O W ?

Highlights:

• Net loss of $314M (For perspective: the retained earnings of the company was $750M approx. That means, 42% of the value built over 50+years evaporated in one year - whoah!)

• MOU with Feds

• Layoffs

E X C E R P T F R O M 2 0 0 9 1 0 - K

S AV E D B Y T H E F E D E R A L G O V E R N M E N T

The bank likely would have gone under had it not been for a $135M capital infusion from the US Treasury (thank you Senator Inouye, one of the original founding Directors of the Bank), the loyal customer base that did not withdraw all their money, and eventually the Board bringing in new CEO John Dean, Bank turnaround expert.

W E L O V E Y O U J O H N D E A N

The bank likely would have gone under had it not been for the $135M capital infusion from the US Treasury (thank you Senator Inouye, one of the original founding Directors of the Bank), the loyal customer base that did not withdraw all their money, and eventually the Board bringing in new CEO John Dean, Bank turnaround expert.

L E S S O N S ?

• Tact: I was learning and planning. I had enough talent to get in the door. But I was also lucky to learn in bad times. ________________________________________________

• The dark side? Learning on some one else’s dime means you get… comfortable. I waited longer than I should have to move on probably. I needed to put the ACT in TACT.

C P B PA R T 2

2 0 1 0 - 2 0 1 3

2007

2013

2014

2015

S T I L L V E R Y S P E C I A L T I M E I N B A N K I N G

• In September of 2010, I began working in Special Assets… We worked out various loans, did lots and lots of reporting, sold some chunks of loans to Morgan Stanley and others, managed a large influx of Residential OREO assets.

• Bank needed help - I was able to work part-time and doubled my hourly rate as a contractor.

• But I was getting more and more interested in technology, so while in Special Assets, I started doing work with the new CIO…

I N T R A P R E N E U R

• Networked with CIO … I got better at the internal politics

• Mobile banking + Social Media… both were new frontiers. Making the shift in my career to technology focus. Rebranding myself : lots of reading, studying.

AV P M O B I L E & S O C I A L M E D I A S T R AT E G I S T

• Noticed our mobile traffic continued to grow every month. So we launched a mobile website.

• Led launch of the mobile platform: SMS, web, native mobile apps

• Worked with marketing and other internal stakeholders to create social media policy for employees.

L E S S O N S ?

• Curiosity FTW! And Talent - showcased my work and ethic. Awareness of what metrics to track.

_________________________________________________

• The dark side? Getting things done in a very conservative culture is haaaard. Doing anything in a larger organization is tough.

B L U E P H O T O S T O R I E S

2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 4

2007

2013

2014

2015

A multi-millionaire is offering to pay you to have him pitch you several ideas and you get to pick one. He will personally mentor you, give you office space, and you go through his startup accelerator.

W H AT W O U L D Y O U D O ?

You take the gig

T H E P R O D U C T W E L A U N C H E D WA S C A L L E D “ R I T I F Y ” ( R I T I M E A N S M E M O RY I N S A N S K R I T ) A N D I T A L L O W E D Y O U T O TA K E P H O T O S

A N D R E C O R D M E M O R I E S A B O U T T H E P H O T O S .

L A U N C H E D I N A P P L E A P P S T O RY I N M AY 2 0 1 4

L E S S O N S ?

• TAC - all represented. But what was missing here? Passion!

_________________________________________________

• The dark side? Walking away from a paycheck, and promise of future banking career. We split $20K amongst 4 founders to live on for 3 months. You do the math.

S TA R T U P S A R E H A R D

C L I C K H E R E T O S E E T H I S T O P S L I D E S H A R E

P R E S E N TAT I O N

T R U T H !

S U LTA N V E N T U R E S

2 0 1 4 - C U R R E N T

2007

2013

2014

2015

T H E B E S T K I N D O F C H A L L E N G E

All my past experiences have been put in to play at SV.

P R O D U C T M A N A GE M E N T

M A R K E T I N G F I N A N C E

D E S I G N

T E A C H I N G

O P S

XLR8UH is the University of Hawaii’s first Proof of Concept Center and Venture Accelerator. XLR8UH is a public-private partnership with The University of Hawaii and Honolulu-based Sultan Ventures.

Launched August 2014!

SULT

AN

VEN

TUR

ES

SnapshotW E ’ V E H A D S O M E G O O D E A R LY

S U C C E S S !

SBA Growth Accelerator Fund Awardee 2015

SULT

AN

VEN

TUR

ES

A N D W E ’ V E W O N S O M E AWA R D S ! !

E D A G R A N T !

A T I M E O F A G G R E S S I V E E X PA N S I O N

SV team was 3 in 4/14… now it’s 6 FTE with interns, summer fellows, and several independent contractors.

L E S S O N S ?

• Curiosity - probably never better represented in my time at SV. We have a lot of deals, pitches, and meetings.

_________________________________________________

• The dark side? Long hours, working Saturdays, getting investor fatigue and calloused in some ways because you’re constantly being pitched because everybody thinks you’re a big-time investor! (I’m not)

A L O H A S Q U A R E D

2 0 1 5 - C U R R E N T

2007

2013

2014

2015

M A K E S O M E T H I N G Y O U A N D O T H E R P E O P L E W A N T ( A N D W I L L PAY Y O U F O R )

J U S T D O I T

• DIY: DO IT YOURSELF

I built this site on squarespace

• Learn how to write a press release

• Use relationships

• Enhances perceived value + Can drive sales

G E T T I N G P R E S S I S N ’ T A S H A R D A S P E O P L E T H I N K !

L E S S O N S ?

• Act - took action and had Awareness of a market need, observing trends.

_________________________________________________

• The dark side? Inventory in your house, spending weeknights packaging goods, dealing with taxes and customer requests (refunds, inquiries, etc.), buying inventory that doesn’t sell! :)

I M P O RTA N T L I F E L E S S O N O N N E X T S L I D E ! !

– L U K E T U C K E R

The recipe isn’t, ‘Make money and then give back’. It’s ‘Give back, while

you’re making money’.

G I V I N G B A C K I S A B I G PA R T A B O U T W H AT I D O AT K O K U A . O R G A N D A D U P H A W A I I . C O M

F O R E V E R Y P O C K E T S Q U A R E P U R C H A S E D , A L O H A S Q U A R E D D O N AT E S T O T H E

H A W A I I F O O D B A N K T H E E Q U I VA L E N T C O S T O F O N E S Q U A R E M E A L .

S O T H AT ’ S S O M E O F M Y S T O RY,

T H A N K S F O R S T I C K I N G A R O U N D !

C O N N E C T W I T H M E !

(That one time I sang for my wife at our wedding)

I W O U L D L O V E T O C H AT : )

L U K E @ L U K E T U C K E R . C O M

A L O H A !