Meet the Team
At Cutting Horse, we’re operators turned investors who believe enduring brands are built by exceptional founders. Having started, scaled, and invested in high-growth consumer businesses ourselves, we know firsthand the challenges and inflection points that define the journey.
We founded Cutting Horse to partner closely with leadership teams and provide more than capital. We offer practical experience, strategic guidance, and long-term alignment to help founders build category-defining companies the right way.
Our Team
Michael Wystrach
Michael is Founder and Managing Partner at Cutting Horse. He partners closely with founders building enduring consumer brands, working side by side on growth strategy and the hard work of scaling. A two-time founder who scaled Freshly to over $500 million in revenue before its $1.5 billion acquisition by Nestlé, he now co-leads Petfolk, one of the fastest-growing veterinary platforms in the U.S.
Founder & Managing Partner | LinkedIn-
Michael is Founder and Managing Partner at Cutting Horse, where he partners closely with founders building the next generation of enduring consumer brands. He works side by side with leadership teams on growth strategy and scaling founder-led businesses.
As a two-time founder and operator, Michael has deep experience building high-growth consumer companies from the ground up. He founded Freshly and served as CEO, scaling the business from launch to over $500 million in revenue, 2,500 employees, and more than 100 million meals shipped before the company was acquired by Nestlé for $1.5 billion. He later co-founded Petfolk with his sister, Dr. Audrey Wystrach, and serves as Co-CEO, helping build one of the fastest-growing modern veterinary platforms in the U.S., now operating 36 locations nationwide.
Michael is an active advisor and investor across the consumer ecosystem, known for his ability to identify and support founders with the grit, vision, and resilience required to build category-defining businesses.
Outside of Cutting Horse, Michael is the founding President of Council 1869, a nonprofit committed to breaking the cycle of poverty for families in under-resourced communities on Long Island. He grew up on his family's ranch in southern Arizona, where his parents still run the gas station, restaurant, and inn they built on one corner property. That background shaped how he thinks about building businesses: with your hands, close to the customer, and with very little margin for error.
Michael holds a B.S. in Finance from the University of Arizona's Eller College of Management. He lives in Garden City, New York, with his wife, Kerry, and their four children.
Chris Protasewich
Founder & Managing Partner | LinkedInChris is Founder and Managing Partner at Cutting Horse, where he leads new investments and works closely with partner brands. Drawing on experience as both an investor and operator, he brings a practical, hands-on perspective to building businesses. He is passionate about partnering with exceptional founders to build enduring, category-defining businesses.
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Chris is Founder and Managing Partner at Cutting Horse, where he leads new investments and works closely with partner brands including BetterWild, Feel Goods, and SuperTeeth.
Chris brings a rare blend of investor and operator experience, with a track record of helping founders build category-defining businesses. He is especially energized by forming close partnerships with entrepreneurs and navigating pivotal stages of growth.Prior to founding Cutting Horse, Chris was an investor at Highland Capital Partners, where he backed Michael Wystrach at Freshly. He later joined Freshly’s leadership team and helped guide the company through rapid scale and its $1.5B acquisition by Nestlé. Following the acquisition, Chris partnered again with Michael to launch Petfolk, helping build one of the fastest-growing and most loved veterinary platforms in the U.S..
Earlier in his career, Chris was an investor at North Bridge Growth Equity (now Guidepost) and began his career at UBS. While earning his MBA, he co-founded Lynx Fitness Club, a 21,000-square-foot luxury fitness and golf club now ranked the #1 fitness club in Boston.
Chris grew up in Duxbury, Massachusetts and has been building businesses for as long as he can remember, from mowing lawns and shoveling snow to crafting and selling wallets made from sailcloth. He has always been drawn to the excitement and creativity of the entrepreneurial journey.
Chris holds an MBA from Wharton and a B.S. from Boston College, where he was a member of the National Champion Varsity Sailing Team. He lives in Boston with his wife Kelly and their two children.
Henry West
Henry is a Vice President and founding member of the team at Cutting Horse, where he supports new investments and works closely with portfolio companies on financial strategy, operations, and growth initiatives.
Vice President | LinkedIn-
Henry brings both transactional and operating experience to his work with founders. He began his career in investment banking at Deutsche Bank before joining Freshly. There, he worked closely with Michael and Chris during a period of rapid scale that culminated in the company’s acquisition by Nestlé. After Freshly, Michael and Chris recruited him to the team at Petfolk, where he supported the company’s growth, operations and fundraising as an instrumental early team member.
Henry is especially passionate about helping founder-led businesses build strong financial foundations and navigate the operational complexities that come with rapid growth.
Henry grew up in Eugene, Oregon where his family owned and operated fast-casual restaurants. Working as a dishwasher every summer, he had a front row seat to entrepreneurship at an early age.
Henry received his BS in Finance from Wake Forest University, where he was a member of the varsity track and field team. He lives in New York City.
Jimmy Shen
Vice President | LinkedInJimmy is a Vice President at Cutting Horse, where he executes new investments and partners with portfolio companies on growth strategy, brand development, and operational scaling.
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Jimmy brings a blend of investing and entrepreneurial experience to his work with founders. Prior to Cutting Horse, he was a consumer private equity investor at Main Post Partners and BRS & Co, where he focused on brands and multi-unit services. He later founded 531 Capital, a consumer investment platform dedicated to backing and closely supporting early-stage founders building in the better-for-you health and wellness ecosystem across CPG, consumer services, and enabling infrastructure. He began his career in investment banking at MTS Health Partners.
Jimmy is known for being a trusted thought partner to consumer entrepreneurs, bringing institutional investing discipline and deep M&A experience to financial and operational decision-making.
Jimmy earned his bachelor’s degree in International Business from the University of California San Diego. He grew up in Millbrae, California, just south of San Francisco, and now lives in New York City. Outside of work, Jimmy enjoys training for marathons and has completed two in his favorite cities: San Francisco and NYC. His lifelong goal is to run all seven Abbott World Marathon Majors. He admires the perseverance and willingness to keep going shared by runners and entrepreneurs alike, even when things start to break.
Hayden Cheek
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He began his career in investment banking at Guggenheim Partners, where he advised on transactions across a range of industries.
Hayden earned his B.A. in Economics from Harvard University, where he was a member of the varsity lacrosse team. He grew up in Wellesley, MA and currently resides in New York City. Outside of work, Hayden is passionate about fitness, golf, and throwing ceramic vases on the wheel — a craft he has practiced since seventh grade. He also volunteers with Team IMPACT, a nonprofit that matches children facing serious physical and mental health challenges with college athletic teams across the country.
Hayden is an Associate at Cutting Horse, where he sources new investment opportunities, supports due diligence efforts, and works alongside portfolio companies on financial analysis and growth initiatives.
Associate | LinkedIn
Nate Champion
Nate Champion is an Operating Partner at Cutting Horse, where he works hands-on with portfolio companies to design and execute disciplined, data-driven growth strategies. He partners closely with founders and leadership teams to build scalable customer acquisition and retention systems that drive long-term, profitable growth.
Operating Partner | LinkedIn-
Nate is the Founder of Overwatch Growth, a performance marketing and growth agency. Previously, he served as President and Chief Growth Officer at VaynerCommerce, where he led performance marketing and growth strategy for leading consumer brands. Earlier in his career, Nate was an early team member at Freshly, helping scale the business from early-stage to over $500M in revenue prior to its $1B+ acquisition. He later held senior growth roles at Dollar Shave Club and Freshly, leading acquisition, retention, and subscription growth during periods of rapid expansion.
Over the past decade, Nate has advised and partnered with high-growth consumer brands across DTC and Amazon, including Promix Nutrition and Beam, helping them scale efficiently and profitably. At Cutting Horse, he brings deep expertise across performance marketing, lifecycle strategy, subscription optimization, and full-funnel growth systems to help portfolio companies unlock their next stage of scale.
Nate holds a B.A. in Economics from Boston College and an MBA from Columbia Business School. He lives in Minnesota with his wife Allie and their three children.
Ed Finn
Ed is an Operating Partner at Cutting Horse, where he works closely with portfolio companies on finance, accounting, and strategic planning. He partners with founders to build strong financial infrastructure and support thoughtful, data-driven decision making as their businesses scale.
Operating Partner | LinkedIn
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Ed brings decades of experience advising early-stage and growth companies across a wide range of financial and operational needs. Through his consultancy, he has provided comprehensive financial and strategic support to startups and small businesses, including business model development, financial modeling, fundraising strategy, M&A, and the buildout of financial systems and reporting. He is often a trusted “consigliere” to founders navigating complex growth decisions.
Ed has worked alongside Chris and Michael for more than a decade across multiple companies, beginning with Freshly and later supporting Promix Nutrition and other founder-led businesses in their network. At Cutting Horse, he brings that same hands-on partnership approach to help portfolio companies strengthen financial operations and prepare for long-term growth.
Ed holds a BS in Accounting and Finance from Georgetown University. He lives in Boston with his wife and their two children.
Jason King
Jason is Chief Financial Officer at Cutting Horse, where he oversees the firm’s financial operations, fund administration, reporting, and compliance. He works closely with the investment team and external partners to ensure operational rigor and transparency as the firm scales.
Chief Financial Officer | LinkedIn-
Jason brings more than 20 years of experience across private equity and venture capital, having served as an auditor, CFO, director, partner, and portfolio company board member. Prior to Cutting Horse, he held senior finance and operational roles at Hyperplane Ventures, SpringTide Ventures, Castile Ventures, Standish Management, Summit Partners, Deloitte, and KPM & Associates CPAs. Throughout his career, he has built a reputation for implementing strong financial infrastructure and governance to support high-performing investment platforms.
Jason is a Certified Public Accountant and earned his B.S. in Accounting from Bryant University. He is a member of the AICPA, MSCPA, and the Private Equity CFO Association. He lives in Maine with his family.