MEET THE TEAM
Get to know us
Here at Curql, we’re partnering with fintechs to activate meaningful, experiential change through user-centric technology in financial services. Together, through an engaged and deliberate collaboration, we can bring your technology to life and to the credit union industry.
Nick Evens
President and CEO of
Curql Collective
Craig Ibsen
Managing Partner
Duane Harris
Partner
Scott Hoekman
Partner
Dave Tucker
Partner
Michael Perrin
Vice President
Wyatt Powers
Analyst
Barbara Gooch
Director of Administration
Curql Investment Committee
Sara Dolan
Chief Financial Officer at
MSU Federal Credit Union
Nick Evens
President and CEO of
Curql Collective
Joel Swanson
Chief Member Experience Officer at
VyStar Credit Union
Casey Wilcox
President of
TDECU Holdings
Craig Ibsen
Managing Partner
Managing Partner of Curql Fund I, Craig is also the founder and Managing Partner of Next Level Ventures, the largest venture firm in Iowa. Craig leads the management of three funds with over $200M in assets today.
With his deep roots in technology, startups and long-standing relationships with credit unions, Craig has established the first and largest investment firm managing credit union assets today.
Key Facts:
- Board Member of Eltropy, the first Curql fund investment
- Board Member of Dwolla, a large payment platform fintech
- Board Member of numerous companies across the three funds, including for Arcoro, VIDA Diagnostics and Higher Learning Technologies
Noteworthy accomplishments:
- Founded numerous companies and funds, including the Curql Fund and Next Level Ventures
- Manages over $200 million in capital today
- Led his firm to earn Investor of the Year recognition at the 2020 Startup Iowa Awards, the 2018 “Impact Award” presented by the Technology Association and “Top Venture Capital Firm in Iowa” by research firm CB Insights for six straight years
Duane Harris
Partner
As Partner of Curql Fund I and Next Level Ventures, Duane finds, analyzes and structures transactions to bring to the Curql Fund I investment committee for approval. With more than 30 years of experience in academics, business management and private equity investing, Harris helped build two private equity firms that collectively managed over $1 billion in investments.
Key Facts:
- Partner on Next Level Fund I, Next Level Fund II and Curql Fund I
- Serves as Partner of Capital Management Resources
- Earned his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Business and Applied Economics at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Noteworthy Accomplishments
- Instrumental in building Churchill Capital, Northstar Capital, LFE Capital, Fulcrum Venture Capital, and Next Level Ventures
- Leveraged expertise in venture fund leadership to help build venture funds that promoted employment growth and community development
Scott Hoekman
Partner
An experienced CFO, investor and strategic advisor, Scott is a Co-Founder and Partner of Next Level Ventures, as well as a Partner of Curql Fund I. Over his career, Scott has facilitated transactions totaling more than $2B.
Key facts:
- Board Member of LenderClose, MSUITE, Pitchly, WebCareHealth, Winpro, and Workgroups
- Board Observer of MākuSafe and Igor
- Angel investor as a member of Plains Angels and as a former member of Hyde Park Angels
Noteworthy accomplishments:
- Co-founded Next Level Ventures in 2013
- Manages over $200M in capital with 26 platform portfolio companies
- Holds an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BA from Colgate University; he was awarded the Colgate University Maroon Citation in recognition of significant and invaluable personal contributions to the university
- Scott served as the CFO of UICO, a touch software provider, and as the Country Director of Singapore-based family office New Markets Pte. Ltd
- Co-founded the advisory firm Maroon Analytics and worked at the Clinton Foundation, Long Point Capital and Bear Stearns
Dave Tucker
Partner
As Partner of Curql Fund I and Next Level Ventures, Dave spends his time finding, investing in and advising early-stage technology companies to help them grow into successful companies. A long-time technologist and technology executive, Dave enjoys working to build product teams and technology companies. His career in the technology industry has included variety of engineering and executive positions with stints at large enterprises, including Hewlett-Packard and Siemens and at startups including Workiva, Engineering Animation and T.R.A.D.E., Inc.
Key facts:
- Serves as Board Member at Ames Seed Capital, Ag Startup Engine and Technology Association of Iowa
- Serves as Board Advisor at MākuSafe, Mazen and Tractor Zoom
- Active mentor to numerous technology leaders across the country
Noteworthy accomplishments:
- Helped to grow Workiva, a cloud-based financial reporting company, from under 10 people pre-revenue to a 1,600-person public company with over $350M revenue
- Active role in building Silicon Valley-based T.R.A.D.E., Inc
- Successfully scaled product development and engineering teams from a handful of people to over 350
Michael Perrin
Vice President
As Vice President of Curql Fund I and Next Level Ventures, Michael is responsible for sourcing, due diligence and ongoing portfolio management to ensure investment quality and oversight. His previous experience includes time at Great Western Bank and Walmart, where he served in a variety of leadership roles within lending, technology development, finance, strategy, and M&A. Michael also spent time at Crow Holdings Capital Partners, W.P. Carey and Churchill Capital Company.
Key facts:
- Board Member of Ames Seed Capital and iConnect
- Member of Plains Angels
Noteworthy accomplishments:
- Experienced in commercial lending and banking
- Worked in real estate private equity industry
- Holds a Master of Business Administration from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University
Barbara Gooch
Director of Administration
As Director of Administration for Next Level Ventures and Curql Fund, Barbara manages all administrative activities for Curql Fund, including: investor relations, investor reporting, custody management, and both partnership and general partner administration. Barbara provides oversight for the firm’s full line of services in support of fundraising, investment origination, investment compliance, and marketing activities of Next Level Ventures.
Key facts:
- Co-founded and serves as Managing Partner of Capital Management Resources, LLC
- Served as Administrative Director for Northstar Capital, LLC and Churchill Capital, LLC
Noteworthy accomplishments:
- Over 25 years of experience in all administrative activities for private equity fund management
- Assisted in the establishment of the organizational infrastructure for nine investment managers who have managed over $800 million in commitments in 25 separate private equity funds
Wyatt Powers
Analyst
As an analyst for Curql Fund I and Next Level Ventures, Wyatt works with prospective partner companies to complete due diligence and evaluate investment potential for Curql Fund I. Wyatt is a certified public accountant in the state of Iowa and, prior to joining Curql Fund, worked as a CPA and staff accountant at Henkel & Associates PC.
Key Facts:
- Licensed as a certified public accountant for the state of Iowa
- Responsible for analyzing prospective partner companies for Curql Fund
- Previously worked as a CPA and staff accountant at a public accounting firm, serving a wide variety of clients in a diverse range of industries
Noteworthy accomplishments:
- Earned his Master of Accounting and Bachelor of Accounting at Iowa State University – Ivy College of Business
Nick Evens
President and CEO of Curql Collective
As President and CEO of Curql Collective, Nick cultivates opportunities to help fintech and credit unions collaborate on breakthrough technologies that minimize threats and successfully improve, disrupt and position the industry with a best-in-class member experience.
Prior to leading Curql Collective, Nick was President of The Veridian Group, Inc. (TVG), the wholly-owned CUSO holding company of Veridian Credit Union, where he led investment strategy and direction for the $5.2B institution. Based in Waterloo, Iowa, TVG’s holdings include Veridian Insurance and Veridian Fiscal Solutions with total staff over 45 strong. During his tenure, Nick managed TVG’s more than ten direct minority investments in CUSO companies, positioning the organization with direct equity stakes in Dwolla, Alkami Technology and Moov Financial and committing approximately $10MM in six venture or seed capital funds.
Key facts:
- Leads a board of nine directors who govern TVG
- Serves or has served on the boards of all CUSOs in which TVG
has ownership positions - Experienced in managing CUSOs with expertise in insurance, payroll services, commercial lending, mortgage lending, auto lending, loan technology, digital payments, credit cards, marketing, voice recognition, and a mobile wallet
- Co-founded VentureTech, a leading industry fintech forum
Noteworthy accomplishments:
- Sits on the Investment Committee of Next Level Ventures, Iowa’s first approved Innovation Tax Credit venture capital fund
- Helps support investment in over 30 start-up technology companies with over $50MM dollars of capital put to work over the previous eight years
- Started a seed capital fund in northeast Iowa that is invested in five start-ups
- Serves on the board of a co-working space offering acceleration
programming to start-ups - Mentors at two fintech accelerators
- Led the Veridian initiative to invest $5MM in Curql Fund and was named to the Investment Committee upon its inception
Joel Swanson
Curql Fund Investment Committee Member
As Chief Experience Officer of VyStar, one of the nation’s largest credit unions with $12B in assets, Joel leads innovation strategies to create lasting and impactful member relationships with the credit union’s more than 464K members worldwide. Most notable among his contributions at the organization is the creation of a $10M FinTech investment fund, envisioned as a result of the technology and operational insights gained while serving as Chief Digital Officer. Prior to VyStar, Joel held senior leadership positions at Alaska USA FCU.
Key facts:
- Serves on VyStar’s executive leadership team
- Leads digital experience, branch services for 60 locations, a 24/7 contact center with 250+ employees, operations, and payments efforts at VyStar
- Skills include successful performance in multiple C-level roles
- Oversaw a team of 600 throughout 87 multi-state branches as SVP of Branches and VP of Electronic Services for $9B+ Alaska USA FCU
Noteworthy accomplishments:
- Directed the investment of $2.5M in two separate rounds into Payveris, a digital money movement company whose valuation has more than doubled in under two years
- Finalizing a board-approved $5M investment for Nymbus, a banking-as-a-service FinTech startup
- Received additional board approval to raise VyStar’s FinTech Investment Fund from $10M to $20M
- Named to the Investment Committee of Curql Fund upon its inception
Sara Dolan
Curql Fund Investment Committee Member
As Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Michigan State University Federal Credit Union (MSUFCU), Sara Dolan provides oversight for planning, implementing, and managing the credit union’s financial strategy. MSUFCU, headquartered in East Lansing, has $6.1 billion in assets and has ranked as a Top Workplace, large employer, by the Detroit Free Press for eight consecutive years. In addition to her work at MSUFCU, where she has served in leadership and management since 2005, Dolan is a passionate community servant, volunteering on boards and committees for numerous organizations.
Key facts:
- Serves on MSUFCU’s executive leadership team
- Responsible for managing the credit union’s financial position, investment portfolio, and annual operational budget, with oversight of 53 staff members
- Experience includes successful performance in multiple leadership roles, including CFO, VP of Finance/Adjustments, and VP of Adjustments
- Memberships include the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants (MACPA) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)
Noteworthy accomplishments:
- Named the Michigan Credit Union League’s 2017 Credit Union Professional of the Year
- Honored with the 2018 Great Place to Work Leadership for All award, recognizing top female leaders
- Appointed by Governor Whitmer to serve on the Michigan Electronic Recording Commission
- Serves on the Ele’s Place Community Board and Finance Committee, McLaren Greater Lansing Healthcare Foundation Board of Trustees, Delta Dental of Michigan Board of Directors, and Renaissance Health Services Corporation Board of Directors
Casey Wilcox
Curql Fund Investment Committee Member
Leading the way as President of TDECU Holdings, Inc., the wholly owned CUSO holding company of TDECU, Casey manages and guides for-profit businesses and CUSO’s for the $4B organization. In addition to his role at the helm of TDECU Insurance Agency, LLC and TDECU Wealth Advisors, Casey spearheads the CUSO strategy for TDECU including reviewing CUSO opportunities and FinTech partnerships that will drive non-interest income growth. Casey also manages TDECU’s direct equity stakes and over $4MM in venture capital investments.
Key facts:
- Is a board member in addition to being President of TDECU Holdings
- Serves on TDECU’s executive leadership team
- Delivers expertise in payments, credit cards, digital strategy, core evaluations, mergers and acquisitions, due diligence, data science, and machine learning with a resume that includes Capital One, JP Morgan Chase, and Paretix, among others
- Founded and owns HapLee Investments, LLC, a fintech consulting company with a focus on real-time payments, faster payments, ACH, and cloud computing transition
Noteworthy accomplishments:
- Produced $185M bottom line PxV, offering clients strategies and solutions for success
- Co-founded and led company through early stages and created new transaction banking product and plans
- Consults fintechs on seed and A round capital investment needs
- Serves on the board of ePayAdvisors, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ePayResources providing payments-related risk management, compliance, and consulting services to financial institutions and businesses throughout the U.S.
- HapLee Investments and its subsidiary company’s efforts led several company’s through start up to full VC backing and exit. In addition, led FinTech acceleration and incubation with several companies in Tel Aviv Israel and Singapore.
- Led the TDECU initiative to invest $4MM in Curql Fund and was named to the Investment Committee upon its inception