Mike J. Thyken
About Mike J. Thyken
Mike J. Thyken is a technology executive based in the Eden Prairie and Minneapolis area of Minnesota. His MESA Group mentor profile describes more than 35 years of leadership, business and technology experience. He was CTO at CaringBridge, CIO at SunOpta, VP of Technology at Merrill Corporation and CIO at Select Comfort (now Sleep Number). He also held senior technology roles at Jostens, Target and IBM.
He has served on boards including Braun Intertec, Agile Frameworks, Summit Brewing and My Formulary, and he has started two of his own companies. At Agile Frameworks he helped bring intellectual property from a larger organization to market as a startup. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of St. Thomas and an MBA from the Carlson School at the University of Minnesota.
Crunchbase lists him as a founder of Food for Health, an app that scans food labels and customizes food recommendations based on health. LinkedIn lists his current experience at Food for Health, and a third-party directory lists him as CTO of the related GoNo Food Finder.
Crunchbase lists a Thykeblock Ventures, founded in 2021, as an investment firm. It gives no description beyond that, and we could not confirm that it is connected to Mike. We found no public record of his individual angel investments, dates or check sizes.
We found no public AI investments. In a MESA Group interview he said he was drawn to the mentee company Raise a Hood by its technology and its use of AI. He described this as mentoring, and the source does not say he invested. He also said he has not written code in decades but understands what it takes to build, scale, secure and support software products.
No stage, sector or check size is publicly stated. As a MESA mentor he works with Minnesota startups. He said he believes the region needs more locally grown technology companies. In the same interview he said he helps founders match their technology plans to practical realities, because founders can be optimistic about timelines and effort.
Investing activity
Mike J. Thyken is listed on Lounge as an angel investor. The deals desk records Series A and later AI rounds and seeds over $10M, so smaller checks may not show here yet.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Mike J. Thyken
Is Mike J. Thyken an angel investor?
We found no public record of individual angel investments by Mike Thyken. He is a retired technology executive, a Food for Health founder and a MESA Group mentor. Crunchbase lists a Thykeblock Ventures, but we could not link it to him.
What is Mike Thyken's background?
He spent more than 35 years in technology leadership. He was CTO at CaringBridge and CIO at SunOpta, and held earlier roles at Select Comfort, Merrill Corporation, Jostens, Target and IBM.
What check size does Mike Thyken write?
No check size is public. Founders should ask him directly.
Does Mike Thyken invest in AI startups?
No AI investments are public. He has mentored Raise a Hood through MESA and said he was drawn to its use of AI.
Where is Mike Thyken based?
His LinkedIn profile lists Eden Prairie, Minnesota. His mentor work focuses on Minnesota startups.
What companies has Mike Thyken founded?
Crunchbase lists him as a founder of Food for Health, a food-as-medicine app. His MESA profile says he has started two companies, and a third-party site lists him as owner and president of Cyber Technology Management.
How can founders reach Mike J. Thyken?
Founders on Lounge can see Mike J. Thyken's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with them under Warm Paths, and add Mike J. Thyken to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.