Meet Sam winkler.
Entrepreneur. Innovator. Leader.
Sam Winkler is a serial entrepreneur and executive based in Orange County, California, with a proven track record of launching and scaling disruptive brands across technology, finance, and consumer products. With expertise spanning executive management, sales, international licensing, and strategic business development, Sam has built a reputation as a visionary leader passionate about creativity, innovation, and growth.
“Never stop creating, always be persistent, and have patience. ”
Sam launched his career in digital media at Planetwide Games, helping to build the infrastructure for one of the first large-scale MMORPG platforms with over 600,000 members. He went on to become Vice President at WePOWER, an alternative energy firm, before co-founding Liquipel in 2010.
As Co-Founder and CEO of Liquipel, Sam pioneered the first nanotechnology-based waterproofing for smartphones, helping to set the standard for water resistance across today’s devices. Since its launch, Liquipel has evolved into a global lifestyle brand with 35,000+ points of distribution, over 100 million units sold, and more than $1 billion in retail sales. Recognized on the Inc. 5000 list five years in a row, Liquipel continues to drive the future of device protection, power innovation, and fashion-forward accessories.
Beyond Liquipel, Sam is the founder of Nano Fit Water, a wellness-focused lifestyle brand, and Liberty First Lending, which has provided more than $30 million in financial solutions to customers. He is also a member of YPO, the world’s premier leadership community of chief executives, and the Forbes Business Development Council,
Deeply committed to community and industry leadership, Sam serves as President of the Aoki Foundation, supporting brain health and neurodegenerative research.
Guided by a passion for building transformative brands, Sam Winkler continues to shape industries at the intersection of innovation, culture, and lifestyle—driving businesses that define the future.
brands & ventures
CEO, Co-Founder
Liquipel brings together patented and proprietary technologies, creating 360° device protection for mobile devices and other electronics. Liquipel’s Watersafe™ is an award-winning process that uses nanotechnology to protect smartphones and other devices from accidental exposure to liquids. SafeGuard by Liquipel is a protection technology that prevents broken screens by utilizing a unique Nano-Shock™ technology to provide protection for mobile devices against severe impacts and drops. Since its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in 2012, Liquipel’s Watersafe™ has won an Edison Award, a FierceWireless Fierce 15 Award, and was named by Popular Science as the Grand Award Winner in the Gadgets Category for the magazine’s “Best of What’s New” issue. It also has been included in Entrepreneur Magazine’s “100 Brilliant Companies” list. The Liquipel brand incorporates aggressive pull-through marketing campaigns utilizing key celebrity partners, such as Pharrell Williams, Steve Aoki, and Nyjah Huston, to maintain a fresh and exciting brand image.
Co-Founder
SVN Sound, a headphone brand created by audio industry veterans and two-time Grammy-nominated DJ and Producer Steve Aoki, launch the Neon 100 headphone.
Co-Founder
The InstaProtek app and product guarantee is not a service contract, no long- term commitments, and will not compete with insurance companies. The InstaProtek mobile app is easy to use and gives consumers up to 12 months to register their products and the peace of mind that their products are not only backed by InstaProtek, but also Starr companies. InstaProtek has created AI to keep the app user-friendly, but also protect it against fraud.