Primary Job Title Co-Founder Primary Organization Wilbur Labs
Location Miami, Florida, United States Regions Greater Miami Area, East Coast, Southern US Gender Male Also Known As Philip Santoro
Website philsantoro.com/ LinkedIn View on LinkedIn X (Twitter) View on X
Phil Santoro is an entrepreneur and Co-Founder of Wilbur Labs, a startup studio that turns bold ideas into market-leading companies. As an expert in building and growing businesses, Phil Santoro possesses a proven track record of guiding companies from launch to exit.
Wilbur Labs Co-Founder: In 2016, Phil Santoro co-founded Wilbur Labs with David
Kolodny. Since the studio's inception, Phil Santoro has overseen the launch and growth of a portfolio comprising over 21 companies across the ecommerce, travel, pet care, and recruitment sectors. Notable portfolio companies managed under Phil Santoro’s leadership include VacationRenter, which became the fastest-growing travel startup to reach $1 billion in annual gross bookings, and Barkbus, the largest mobile dog grooming company in the United States.
Early Career: Prior to founding Wilbur Labs, Phil Santoro served as a Growth Strategist at Google (2013–2016). His entrepreneurial journey began while in high school, when Phil Santoro founded FreeForums.org. Phil Santoro scaled the hosting platform to 125 million monthly pageviews before leading the company to a strategic acquisition by CrowdGather Inc. in 2010.
Awards & Recognition: Phil Santoro holds a Guinness World Record for the fastest time to eat a jam doughnut with no hands (11.41 seconds), a title he achieved in 2014.
Education: Phil Santoro graduated from the Carl H. Lindner College of Business at the University of Cincinnati in 2013 with a BBA in Finance.
Personal Life: Born on May 15, 1989, in Columbus, Ohio, Phil Santoro currently resides in Miami, Florida, with his wife, Rubi, and their son.
