Hi, I'm Josh.
From an early age, I always felt a bit odd and sometimes out of place.
To be clear, I didn't feel superior. Quite the opposite, I was filled with self-doubt and insecurity and couldn't help questioning the way things were. I just usually felt weird (I still do, sometimes).
To navigate my early years living in a single-parent household in Detroit, I had to Find A Way. And as a misfit, this meant making my own way. A way that was unorthodox, unexpected, and unusual.
NYT
Tech Entrepreneur
Venture Capital
Jazz Guitarist
EY
US Presidential Champion
I had to rely on ingenuity, creativity, and reading between the lines—attributes that we all have as human beings.
That creative approach helped launch my ‘early careers’—starting an (illegal) fireworks business at 11, playing my first paid gig at a jazz club at 13, and becoming the highest-ranking incoming jazz guitarist at the Berklee College of Music at 17.
Since then, I’ve had some nice wins. And also my fair share of failures, setbacks, and disappointments.
Like you, I’m still
Finding A Way...
...but now I get to rely on a proven framework that helps me navigate tough challenges and seize new opportunities.
I can’t wait to share my simple system to help you find your way to the personal and professional growth you crave the most.
Here’s to your success…
Beyond
Grateful.
The wins I’ve enjoyed came directly from developing ingenuity and creativity, skills that can also help you achieve the remarkable.
Outside of the external markers, I’m most proud of the impact I’ve been able to make as I continue to grow as a collaborator, husband, and father of four. And I’m still a work in progress.
These days, I’m the Managing Partner and co-founder of Mudita Venture Partners, a venture capital firm with a soul.
We invest in early-stage software companies that have the potential to change the way we work, learn, and live. I’m also the Chairman and co-founder of Platypus Labs, a research, consulting, and training company that helps leaders spark, activate, and amplify cultures of innovation.
Add in around 80 keynotes a year, trying to keep my guitar chops one step ahead of rusty, and doing my best to be supportive and present for my wife (Tia), kids (Noah, Chloe, Avi, and Tallia), and our 3.5-pound Yorkie (DaVinci); I’m blessed with a full and busy life.
My Core
Beliefs.
While new projects come and go, a few guiding principles have helped me build a beautiful life and career.
Give generously, don't keep score.
I’m a firm believer in abundance and have experienced firsthand how helping others provides its own deep intrinsic rewards. Elevating others is a key part of my responsibility as a human being and I prefer to share rather than withhold. Plus, it’s a beautiful feeling to walk around life seeking to give instead of get.
Smoother than a fresh jar of Skippy.
Life is too short for drama and friction. I try to be ‘user-friendly’ in all of my relationships and interactions. We’re here to serve others, and that service is elevated by being easy to interact with. For me, kindness, compassion, and love carry the day.
Play jazz, not classical.
As a jazz guitarist for over 40 years, I’ve honed my skills of improvisation, agility, ingenuity, and adaptability. In my opinion, these are the most important skills needed in times of uncertainty and change. I try to remain open to fresh thinking and willing to adapt to changing conditions in real-time rather than relying on previous formulas. I’d rather express my own fresh, original art than play the music of some ancient composer.
Reach for Eleven.
From business results to impact to service to relationships, I’m always trying to push through previous limits to reach new heights. Simply put, on a scale from one to ten… I strive for eleven.
Find A Way.
I deeply believe that every problem is figureoutable. Instead of looking at obstacles as insurmountable, I try to use inventive thinking and creative problem solving to break through barriers and seize opportunities. From the big stuff to the small, there’s always a way… let’s take the initiative and find it.
Let's Find A Way Together.
Keynotes + Workshops
Curated keynotes and hands-on workshops to spark a mindset and movement of everyday creativity, agility and resilience for every box on your org chart.
Innovation Labs
Your “Innovation-as-a-Service” partner with a systematic approach to inspiring, activating, and amplifying org-wide innovation cultures.
Start-up Studio
A venture fund with a soul building a better future through invention, divergent thinking, and a non-traditional approach of generosity and compassion.