The science and art of photography have been woven into Nimi Natan‘s life. At age 11, an uncle in Tel Aviv gifted him a Kodak Instamatic camera which led to working in the darkroom. He got a nicer camera for his bar mitzvah which launched Nimi into a growing obsession with the craft. He worked as a photography assistant in college and later received an MS in Imaging Science which led to his first career as a film scientist at Polaroid. He also completed the Management of Innovation Executive Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

A change in direction found him at Wharton School, where he earned an MBA which led to him managing numerous banks and investment firms. Nimi has served on numerous boards of directors and advisory councils and continues to mentor several startups. He is a frequent speaker at finance conferences.

His photography today focuses on oceanscapes and photography of the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. Nimi became a self-described “surf photographer” and has been published in various surf blogs and magazines. He has attended workshops and events at DCP and is a strong believer in the impact the arts can have in education and the importance of photography to capture beauty, adventure and to share stories.

Nimi is currently the President and CEO of Gulf Coast Small Business Lending, a Dallas-based direct national lender to small businesses. Mr. Natan founded the specialty-finance platform in 2013 and grew it to become one of the country’s largest SBA lenders before being acquired by Gulf Coast Bank & Trust in 2017.