By entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs

About Josh and Dave

Josh Felser and Dave Samuel are serially successful entrepreneurs with a passion for Internet startups.

Josh started his career in old media at News Corp after graduating from Duke and Fuqua. Meanwhile, Dave was finishing up school at MIT and starting his first corporate job at Oracle. They teamed up in 1997 to found Spinner, the first multichannel Internet music service, and in 2004 to found Grouper (now Crackle), one of the first Internet video networks. Both companies were acquired in less than three years and sold for $320 million and $65 million, respectively.

Josh and Dave joined forces again in early 2009 to found Freestyle and fill the funding void of brutally honest mentors with strategic and operational experience. In addition to starting Freestyle, Josh co-founded FYI Living, the “mythbusters” of health information, and is an entrepreneurship advisor to his alma mater, Duke. Dave has also been busy making his mark with 4 kids and Brondell, the first American-based company to develop high-tech toilet seats.

When they’re not hustling for Freestyle, Josh and Dave revel in skiing, snowboarding, hiking, wakeboarding, playing poker, traveling to all corners of the world, and of course, Burning Man.

The evolution of Freestyle

We started Freestyle in 2009 because we saw an opportunity to provide hands-on guidance and real-world operational experience to Internet startups with bold and disruptive ideas. In an industry brimming with buttoned-up suits, one-dimensional characters, and sugar-coated advice, we stand out as the anti-banker. We’re the ones who aren’t afraid to take risks. The ones who tell it like it is. The ones who can help negotiate multimillion dollar deals and grab a beer with you to celebrate. We believe it’s not just about the money. It’s about providing real mentoring to help you succeed and having a blast while we’re at it. (We take your ideas seriously, and ourselves, not so much.)