Press Kit

Mike Wystrach is a serial founder, operator, and investor building and backing consumer-focused companies. He grew up on a ranch in southern Arizona, where his parents ran the family steakhouse for nearly four decades — an upbringing that shaped his operating instincts and his belief that real businesses are built with real work.

Today, Mike is co-founder of Cutting Horse, a growth-equity firm built with longtime collaborator Chris Protasewich. Together they’ve helped create over $5B in enterprise value and raised more than $300M for companies they founded. Cutting Horse closed its $75M Fund I in February 2026 (oversubscribed) and partners with founder-led consumer brands across food, health, pet, and consumer services — including Feel Goods, SuperTeeth, BetterWild, Cassi, and Ripi.

Mike's operating track record anchors the firm. In 2012, he founded Freshly, raised $107M, scaled to 2,500 employees and $550M in peak annualized revenue shipping 1M+ meals a week across all 48 states, and sold the company to Nestlé for $1.5 billion in October 2020. He also co-founded Petfolk with his sister Dr. Audrey Wystrach — modern veterinary care across 40+ centers in 8 states, recognized by Newsweek as one of America’s best veterinary hospitals.

Mike is a Fortune contributor and hosts The Advantage, a podcast and weekly newsletter for founders and operators who've actually built something.