About Mike

Mike Nathan, MBA, is the Founder & CEO of Impero Ventures. He helps founders with a real business go from frustrated and floundering to fundable and running their raise.

20+ companies. $170M revenue. $55M raised. 3 exits. 2 VC funds. 1M+ YouTube subscribers.

His biggest build, Mendota Health, went from zero to $70M+ in under five years across 33 markets, then exited. That is the playbook he now hands to founders at Impero Ventures: build something investors want to own, then go raise.

Mike is a Founding Partner of Exit 156 Capital and Managing Partner of Big Stone Capital Group. He co-hosts Burn Rate + Bull$hit, the founder podcast with 1M+ YouTube subscribers. He is Co-Founder & Chairman of NEOS Elite Performance and serves on the boards of Vail Scientific, Bilt Ventures, SurgiSmoke Solutions, Sharp's Medical and EruptCinn.

It started in the U.S. Navy. Mike served 4.5 years, stationed in Yokosuka, Japan; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; and, after 9/11, Naples, Italy, as a Boatswain's Mate Second Class (BM2), Surface Warfare qualified and a search and rescue swimmer. He later earned his MBA from Concordia University, St. Paul. He is a proud St. John's University alum (SJU '97). Twin Cities Business named him one of its TCB 100 People to Know in 2025.

At the heart of it all is one belief: we are here to do good things for other people. A well-intentioned company, powered by a small group of committed, motivated and empowered people, can change the world. A startup is the best vehicle there is for that kind of impact.

Mike lives in Mendota Heights, Minnesota, with his family. He's a loyal Minnesota Vikings fan who enjoys reading, chess, whiskey, cigars, making chili, swimming with the family, fighting for social justice, and laughing (mostly at himself).

Work with Mike at imperoventures.com