Phil Santoro

Phil Santoro
Phil Santoro entrepreneur headshot.jpg Phil Santoro entrepreneur headshot.jpg
Born	1989-05-15 Columbus, Ohio
🏡 Residence	Miami, Florida
🏳️ Nationality	American
🏫 Education	University of Cincinnati (BBA)
💼 Occupation	Entrepreneur in Miami, Florida
📆 Years active	2007–present
👔 Employer	Wilbur Labs
Known for	Co-Founder of Wilbur Labs
Title	Co-Founder
👩 Spouse(s)	Rubi Santoro ​(m. 2021)
👶 Children	1
🌐 Website	https://philsantoro.com/
🥚 Twitter	https://x.com/philsantoro
💼 LinkedIN	https://www.linkedin.com/in/philsantoro/

Phil Santoro (born May 15, 1989) is an American entrepreneur. He is the co-founder of Wilbur Labs, a startup studio based in Miami, Florida. Previously, he was the founder of FreeForums.org, which was acquired by CrowdGather Inc. in 2010. From 2013-2016, he was a Growth Strategist at Google.

Early life and education

Santoro was born in Columbus, Ohio. His family later moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he spent the majority of his childhood. He built his first computer at age 12 and launched his first startup venture at age 13.

He attended the University of Cincinnati Carl H. Lindner College of Business, graduating in 2013 with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Finance.

Career

FreeForums.org

In 2007, while attending high school, Santoro founded FreeForums.org, a hosting platform that enabled users to create and manage online community forums. Under his leadership, the platform scaled to approximately 125 million monthly pageviews. In 2010, the company was acquired by the publicly traded technology company CrowdGather Inc.

Google

From 2013 to 2016, Santoro worked at Google headquarters in Mountain View, California, as a Growth Strategist. During this time, he met David Kolodny. The two collaborated on identifying market inefficiencies and potential startup solutions.

Wilbur Labs

In 2016, Santoro left Google to co-found Wilbur Labs with Kolodny. Wilbur Labs operates as a startup studio, providing funding, shared resources, and operational support to build and scale companies internally.

Since its inception, the studio has built and invested in over 21 companies. Notable portfolio companies include:

• VacationRenter: Launched in 2018, the company reportedly became the fastest-growing travel startup to reach $1 billion in gross bookings.
• Barkbus: Launched in 2020, this venture scaled to become the largest mobile dog grooming company in the United States.

Guest appearances

Santoro is a speaker on entrepreneurship and a frequent contributor to business publications, including Inc. Magazine, Fast Company, and Entrepreneur. He writes on topics related to startup scaling and operational strategy. He also co-hosts the online video series Wilbur Labs Founder FAQ.

Philanthropy

In 2018, Santoro established the Santoro Entrepreneurship Scholarship at Madeira High School.  In 2023, he expanded his philanthropic efforts by creating the Santoro Family Fund for Entrepreneurship at the University of Cincinnati Carl H. Lindner College of Business. Both initiatives are designed to support student entrepreneurs and foster business skills in young innovators.

Personal life

Santoro resides in Miami, Florida, with his wife, Rubi, and their son. He is an FAA licensed Private Pilot and has flown a Cessna 182 across the United States.

In 2014, Santoro set a Guinness World Record for the "Fastest time to eat a jam doughnut with no hands," achieving a time of 11.41 seconds.

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