Mike Sherbakov

Born in Russia, he moved to the United States with his family at five and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. In interviews, he links his interest in entrepreneurship to watching his parents rebuild their lives.⁠[1][2]

In a 2024 interview, he recalled enlisting in 2003 after the September 11 attacks and serving five years on active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps. He connects that experience with his emphasis on leadership, resilience and purpose.⁠[2]

After military service, he attended San Diego State University and graduated magna cum laude. His early businesses included HMS Fitness and Karuna Towels, a venture combining commerce with social impact.⁠[3][4]

An Intellifluence interview identified him as founder of Greatness Collective and host of the Do Great Things podcast. He discussed community homebuilding in Mexico and partnerships with brands including Fitbit and lululemon.⁠[5]

Founder Institute’s 2022 award profile credited him with helping launch more than twenty startups in San Diego since 2021. It named him among the winners of its 2022 Global Startup Leadership Awards.⁠[6]

In a March 2022 interview, he described his role as CEO of Greatness Ventures and co-founding The Veteran Fund with Ryan Micheletti, Justin Nahama and Lisa Song Sutton to provide early capital to veteran-led technology companies.⁠[7][8]

The fund’s first-quarter update reported that the spring Founder Institute Veteran and Military Family Accelerator cohort, led by Sherbakov, welcomed 48 founders, supporting the military community’s transition into entrepreneurship.⁠[9]

Bunker Labs named him a San Diego representative in its 58-member 2024 ambassador cohort. The program connected local veteran and military-spouse entrepreneurs with business networks and resources.⁠[10]

Founder Institute announced that eighteen companies had completed its four-month Veteran and Southern California Accelerator program. It listed him alongside Daniel Shires, Greg Coleman and Ryan Micheletti as local directors.⁠[11]

The Veteran Fund announced the oversubscribed closing of Fund I, targeting dual-use technologies including cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, drones, space and advanced manufacturing.⁠[8]

He joined Jason Calacanis and Brendan Aronson in judging a veteran startup pitch competition. Winner EMPEQ reported that it emerged from more than 200 entrants and secured a $100,000 investment from The Veteran Fund.⁠[12]

An update published under his name reported that Fund I portfolio companies had collectively raised more than $500 million and that Fund II had completed its first four investments. It also recorded his participation in JPMorgan’s inaugural Defense Action Forum.⁠[13]

School of Hard Knocks Podcast published a long-form interview covering his immigration and military background, entrepreneurship, early-stage investing and venture-fund operations.⁠[1][14]

He emphasizes founders’ commitment and commercial demand for dual-use technologies. San Diego State University’s ZIP Launchpad lists him as a domain expert in fundraising strategy, pitch preparation and investor outreach.⁠[2][15]

In a 2022 interview, he recalled closing a business when financing fell through and facing difficult layoffs. He said those experiences helped him understand the pressures confronting founders he mentors.⁠[7]

He participates in building homes for families in need in Mexico through the Greatness community and shares travel and outdoor activities in his public profiles. His current professional and X profiles list Austin as his location.⁠[5][16][17]

The Veteran Fund: Fund website: https://www.veteran.fund/ (opens in a new window). Personal website: https://www.mikesherbakov.com/ (opens in a new window). X: @mikesherbakov. LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikesherbakov (opens in a new window). The official interview also links his Instagram account, @mikesherbakov.⁠[18][17][19][1]