Christopher Michel

Investor and Photographer in San Francisco, CA

Christopher Michel

Investor and Photographer in San Francisco, CA

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I'm a founder turned investor & photographer. In 2008, I founded Nautilus Ventures, a seed-stage firm. Nautilus has made over 75 investments including Palantir, Snap, Goodreads, Castlight Health, RelateIQ, Blue Bottle, Ruby Ribbon, etc. I'm an active board member and serve as a Director of Dale Carnegie and Catchlight.

Prior, I founded Military.com, an online portal for servicemembers, veterans and their families. In 2006, I founded Affinity Labs, which runs a portfolio of online professional communities. Both companies were purchased by Monster Worldwide.

I'm also an advisor to the Center for Investigative Reporting, The Union of Concerned Scientists, and Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation.

I was also an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Harvard Business School during the 2010-2011 school year. Prior to my business career, I served as a Naval Flight Officer in the United States Navy. While on active duty, I flew as a Navigator, Tactical Coordinator and Mission Commander aboard the P-3C Orion aircraft. Following my operational tour, I worked in the Pentagon as Aide to the Chief of the Naval Reserve.

I earned my commission from the NROTC program at the University of Illinois, where I graduated Phi Beta Kappa and was selected as the distinguished naval graduate. I hold an MBA from the Harvard Business School and an honorary Doctorate from Tiffin University. I was also named a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute.

  • Work
    • Nautilus Ventures
  • Education
    • University of Illinois
    • Harvard Business School