Michael is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of The Locust Group. He is also a member of the Firm’s Investment Committee.
A proud college dropout, Michael started his first company at 19 years old. HandAds, a mobile network specializing in interstitial ad placement was acquired by AdMob in 2010. Shortly thereafter, Michael founded the Silas Network, a full-service blockchain technology company designed to help governments and private businesses integrate blockchain into their operations.
Michael is also a serial entrepreneur who has invested in over 30 disruptive technology startups, including Flexport, Abra, Filecoin, Staked, and Korbit. He is extremely active in charitable actives, including Stanford University’s Earth, Energy, Environmental Sciences and Engineering School’s, Spay Neuter Project of Los Angeles, Wounded Warrior Project, The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and Friends of the Israel Defense Force. On weekend’s you can catch him skydiving in Oceanside or surfing Dana Point.
Joshua is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of The Locust Group. He is also a member of the Firm’s Investment Committee.
Prior to Co-Founding the Firm, Joshua founded Gold Coast Capital (GCC) in 2010 where he was involved in four highly successful funds that invested in over 100 start-up and emerging growth companies. Joshua’s commitment to entrepreneurs and their market vision has also been reflected in his long standing board relationships. He has served on more than 20 boards of directors over his 15 year private equity career.
Giving back has also been an important value for Joshua. He recently formed the Ferdman Foundation to make impact investments and philanthropic commitments. He’s a co-founder and board member of Off The Bunk, a non-profit which assists previously incarcerated individuals with job training and assistance. Joshua has been a long time supporter of the State of Israel, as well as, countless Jewish charities such as Beit T’Shuvah, Chabad, The Jewish Federation, and The Aleph Institute.
