Stride Consumer Partners, a growth equity firm that partners with talented founders and management teams to build the next generation of great consumer brands, is pleased to announce the promotion of Mike Banu to Partner. This milestone reflects Mike’s leadership, impact, and long-standing contributions to the firm, our partner brands, and the founders we support.
Since joining Stride as a founding member, Mike has played an instrumental role in advancing the firm’s investment strategy and portfolio impact. As the leader of our multi-unit sector, Mike has been central to sourcing, leading diligence, and thoughtfully shaping our investment strategies. Mike has also driven firm strategy as well as lead and hosted many of our internal team offsites.
During his time at the firm, Mike has combined rigorous investment judgment with a highly collaborative, founder-first approach — helping management teams navigate growth inflection points across unit economics, expansion strategy, and operational execution.
“Mike embodies the kind of investor and teammate we strive to be — thoughtful, committed, and deeply aligned with the founders and leadership teams we support.” said Tim Burke, Partner at Stride. “His leadership of our multi-unit practice has strengthened our firm’s investment strategies and capabilities. This promotion reflects the deep confidence we feel about Mike’s contributions to the firm and our shared belief in building enduring businesses together.”
Prior to joining Stride, Mike was a Principal at Castanea Partners, where he worked with several notable brands including West Coast Fitness, Essentia Water, and First Aid Beauty. He has focused on consumer brands throughout his career, as both an operator and an investor. Prior to Castanea, he was on the leadership team of a small children’s apparel brand called Little Miss Matched which gave Mike a true appreciation of what it takes to build and sustain a great consumer brand. Earlier in his career, he worked on the investment team at L Catterton, and in the consumer investment banking group at J.P. Morgan. Mike received an MBA from Harvard Business School and an undergraduate degree at Babson College.
Please join us in congratulating Mike on this well-deserved promotion to Partner.