Mike Katz

Hi, I’m Mike. I am much more active on my website, www.MikeKatz.com. Anyway, I grew up in a small town in California called Portola Valley which is roughly situated between San Francisco and San Jose. My family has lived there for nearly six decades and witnessed this suburb transition from a sleepy ranching community to a popular residence for Silicon Valley technology folks.

Despite my love of sourdough bread, sunshine, and the Giants (the SF ones), I opted for four traditional seasons after high school and attended Georgetown University in Washington, DC. After school, I sold my soul to Wall Street and moved to New York City before miraculously finagling my way into venture capital. As a VC, I recognized the value for an investor to have both operating experience and an MBA; consequently, I then worked full-time for one of our portfolio companies and now am in business school at Columbia. After graduation, I hope to return to venture capital.

Outside of professional stuff, I apparently can’t get enough of working with entrepreneurs because I also serve on the Board of Directors of Project Enterprise, a Harlem-based microfinance nonprofit. Additionally, I was never the fastest runner as a kid, but in my twenties I’ve realized I could stubbornly outlast almost anyone. As a result, I’ve taken up endurance sports and have somehow run a handful of marathons and two Ironman 70.3 triathlons. No, I’ve never won any of these, but I enjoy them.