# Michael Wystrach

> Michael “Mike” Wystrach is the co-founder and co-CEO of Petfolk, co-founder of Freshly and co-founder of consumer investment firm Cutting Horse. Raised on a southern Arizona ranch and in his family’s restaurant, he built Freshly with Carter Comstock before its 2020 acquisition by Nestlé. He now builds Petfolk with his sister Audrey and hosts The Advantage podcast and newsletter.

- **Role:** Co-Founder and Co-CEO at Petfolk
- **Organizations:** Petfolk, Freshly, Cutting Horse, The Advantage, Thomas Weisel Partners
- **Education:** BSBA in Finance, University of Arizona, Eller College of Management
- **Known for:** Co-founded Freshly, acquired by Nestlé in October 2020 at an initial $950 million value with up to $550 million in additional contingent earnouts., Freshly shipped more than one million meals weekly across 48 states when the acquisition was announced., Co-led Petfolk’s $40 million Series A with White Star Capital in August 2022.

## Career timeline

- **2002** — Graduated from the University of Arizona with a finance degree; subsequently worked on Wall Street.
- **2005** — Returned to Arizona to work with family businesses, according to his Entrepreneur interview.
- **2008** — Opened a restaurant at Dove Mountain, Arizona, modeled on the family’s The Steak Out.
- **2012** — Started the prepared-meal business with Carter Comstock that became Freshly.
- **2013** — The Dove Mountain restaurant closed, according to the 2008–2013 dates in his retrospective.
- **2015** — F3 Foods was renamed Freshly.
- **2017** — Nestlé bought an approximately 16 percent stake in Freshly.
- **2020** — Petfolk launched; on October 30, Nestlé announced its Freshly acquisition at $950 million plus up to $550 million in contingent earnouts.
- **2021** — Announced departure as Freshly CEO in October.
- **2022** — Publicly announced joining Petfolk as co-founder and co-CEO with Audrey Wystrach; co-led its $40 million Series A.
- **2024** — Co-founded Cutting Horse with Chris Protasewich, according to his published career biographies.
- **2026** — Cutting Horse announced a $75 million first fund in February; continued operating Petfolk and hosting The Advantage.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Freshly, acquired by Nestlé in October 2020 at an initial $950 million value with up to $550 million in additional contingent earnouts.
- Freshly shipped more than one million meals weekly across 48 states when the acquisition was announced.
- Co-led Petfolk’s $40 million Series A with White Star Capital in August 2022.
- Co-founded Cutting Horse, which announced a $75 million first fund on February 24, 2026, above its $50 million target.
- His current official biography reports Petfolk operating more than 40 centers across eight states.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Published The Advantage episode 12 with Super Coffee co-founder Jordan DeCicco on October 21, discussing a business turnaround.
- **2026-08** — Appeared on the School of Hard Knocks podcast on August 26 to discuss failure, rebuilding and his current ventures.
- **2026-07** — Appeared on Moneywise to discuss his company-building experience and life after the Freshly sale.
- **2026-02** — Cutting Horse announced closing its first fund at $75 million, exceeding the original $50 million target.

## Links

- Website: https://mikewystrach.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelwystrach/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/mikewystrach
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MikeWystrach
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikewystrach/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/michael-wystrach
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23