The Falcon   |   Volume 83, Issue 53

Published 5/29/13   |   Log In

Student’s web startup sold to large firm

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Freshman started company in Jr. high

By ALEX CNOSSEN, Staff Reporter

Published: February 6, 2013

Freshman Kyle Davies is the kind of guy who can turn a $25 gift card into a 13-employee company.

It started when Davies was a seventh-grader in Woodinville, Wash. He received a $25 American Express gift card for his birthday and decided to use the money to start a website.

“I thought it would be cool to have my own little place,” Davies said. “I could do whatever I wanted, create whatever I wanted.”

The website had several features, most were typical middle school activities. It was a place for Davies and his friends to chat and play online games.

To save money, Davies found a small company called FazeWire to host his website. At the time, Mike Lisovetsky, a high school student in New York, ran FazeWire out of his bedroom.

Despite some reservations, Davies’ dad, Rich Davies, helped him get his website going. Rich has worked at Microsoft as a project manager for more than 25 years.

“He taught me to chase what I wanted regardless of the obstacles,” said Davies, referring to his dad.

In the summer before Davies’ eighth-grade year, Lisovetsky called him explaining he was headed to college and wouldn’t have time to run the host service.

He offered to sell it to Davies for $100.

So in August of 2008, Davies bought FazeWire, which hosted three websites at the time.

Throughout high school, Davies built up FazeWire by increasing advertising and hosting prices.

By the time Davies graduated, FazeWire was hosting 1,000 websites in 21 countries.

Even though Davies had managed to build a profitable company in high school, he decided he didn’t want to do web hosting as a career.

“I’ve always wanted to be a doctor,” Davies said. “It’s a part of the path I’m convinced God has called me to follow.”

So Davies sold FazeWire to Pacific Software Publishing in Bellevue and enrolled as an intended Biology major at Seattle Pacific.

Davies can’t disclose how much he sold FazeWire because of a confidentiality agreement with Pacific Software Publishing. With the acquisition of FazeWire, Pacific Software Publishing hosts 38,000 websites.

Even though he sold the company, Davies still works for them on nights and weekends.

“It’s hard going from me controlling everything to trying to delegate all the tasks,” Davies said. “There are a lot of growing pains that FazeWire is still going through.”

Thirteen employees now run FazeWire as a branch of Pacific Software Publishing.

For Davies, FazeWire isn’t the only accomplishment he wants to be remembered for.

“I have no regrets,” Davies said. “Meeting new people, learning new things, that’s what life’s about.”

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