Next Level Ventures is a venture capital firm which invests in growing companies. We typically invest $0.5 million to $5 million for a minority ownership position. Our team is looking for companies that have the potential to become big opportunities. We provide capital and strong management expertise to help your company to grow quickly.
We have backed several exciting businesses (see below), and we are seeking new, innovative companies.
Capital: We typically invest $0.5 to $5 million for a minority ownership position in each company. Through our investment partners, we can do even larger transactions. We generally invest for three to seven years.
Approach: We are proactive with our portfolio companies by serving on boards, providing oversight, generating strategic opportunities, and expanding globally. Plus we drive our portfolio companies to profitable outcomes for the entrepreneurs, employees, managers, and investors.
Private systematic program to fund AgTech entrepreneurs and help them towards success through mentorship and financial support
Website: www.agstartupengine.com
Directors: Kevin Kimle and Joel Harris
Location: Ames, IA
Private investment funds to support high-growth start-ups in Ames, IA and other Story County areas
Website: www.amesedc.com
CEO: Dan Culhane
Location: Ames, IA
Integrated HCM software; merger of BirdDogHR, ExakTime, and InfinityHR
Website: www.arcoro.com
CEO: John O'Hara
Locations: AZ / CA / IA
Telehealth software and virtual care solutions
Website: Certintell.com
CEO: Ben Lefever
Location: Des Moines, IA
Enterprise-level video conference and language translation solutions
Website: www.getconnectivity.com
CEO: Tom Kielty
Location: Cedar Rapids, IA
Remote management for livestock facilities
Website: gosentinel.co/
CEO: BJ Brugman
Location: Ames, IA
Software for online payments and money transfers
Website: www.dwolla.com
CEO: Brady Harris
Location: Des Moines, IA
Digital tool set for farmland professionals
Website: www.farmlandfinder.com
CEO: Steven Brockshus
Location: Des Moines, IA
Software to create interactive educational applications
Website: www.builtbyhlt.com
CEO: Alec Whitters
Location: Coralville, IA
Software and hardware for power over ethernet smart building systems
Website: www.igor-tech.com
CEO: Steven L’Heureux
Location: West Des Moines, IA
Software and data for loan originators
Website: www.lenderclose.com
CEO: Omar Jordan
Location: West Des Moines, IA
IoT platform designed to improve workplace safety and reduce workers’ comp claims
Website: www.makusafe.com
CEO: Gabriel Glynn
Location: West Des Moines, IA
Software to manage all HVAC-related design, production, and installation
Website: www.msuite.com
CEO: Britton Langdon
Location: Cedar Rapids, IA
B2B software to create dynamic documents from data automatically
Website: www.pitchly.com
CEO: Ryan Gerhardy
Location: Des Moines, IA
Long term care prescription management
Website: www.smartscripts.com
CEO: Todd Thompson
Location: Washington, IA
Mobile advertising software solution for companies
Website: taponitdeals.com
CEO: Katie Castillo-Wilson
Location: Davenport, IA
Software that enables 3D design collaboration across the extended enterprise
Website: www.vertexvis.com
CEO: Dan Murray
Location: Ames, IA
Software for quantitative pulmonary analysis
Website: www.vidalung.ai
CEO: Dr. Susan Wood
Location: Coralville, IA
Developer of a novel therapeutic for metastatic melanoma
Website: www.viewpointmt.com
CEO: Dr. Frances Johnson
Location: Coralville, IA
Software for clinicians to remotely monitor their patients at home
Website: www.webcarehealth.com
CEO: Dr. Teresa Sieck
Location: Ankeny, IA
Software for project management & workflow automation for marketing and creative teams
Website: www.workgroups.com
CEO: Todd Skokan
Location: Des Moines, IA
Software for talent management and compliance
Website: www.birddoghr.com
CEO: Todd Skokan
Location: Urbandale, IA
We are dedicated to providing strong investment returns to our investors as well as advice and support to our portfolio.
Craig Ibsen
Managing Partner
Craig has over 25 years of investment, entrepreneurial and senior management experience in the US and globally. He served as an officer of Maytag where he led the operations of the Amana Commercial Division and Jade Products. Craig founded and was CEO of Appliancezone, a supply chain software company based in London. Craig is a co-founder of Rebound Enterprises, which invests in various companies. Craig currently serves on the boards of BirdDogHR, VIDA Diagnostics and was the Chairman of Global ID Group which was acquired by Inverness Graham in 2013. He is also a member of Plains Angels, an angel investment group and has made several investments in Iowa and around the Midwest. He holds an MBA from Drake University and a BA from Luther College.
Duane Harris
Partner
Duane has had over 30 years of experience in academics, business management, and private equity investing. He served as a professor at Iowa State University, worked as an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and managed corporate M&A and business development activities at General Mills. Duane also helped build two private equity firms, first Churchill Capital and then Northstar Capital, that collectively have managed over $1 billion in investments. Duane also serves as a Partner of Capital Management Resources, an administrator for investment funds. For six years, he has been an active sponsor of the Okoboji Entrepreneurial Institute. He holds a PhD from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an MS and BS from Iowa State University.
Scott Hoekman
Partner
Scott has had several experiences as a CFO, investor, and strategic advisor. In these roles, he has worked on transactions that total more than $2 billion and has served on four boards of directors. He previously worked with UICO (a venture-backed touch technology company), Maroon Analytics (a private equity and advisory firm), New Markets Pte Ltd (a family investment office in Singapore), President Bill Clinton Foundation (a non-profit), Long Point Capital (a private equity firm), and Bear Stearns (an investment bank). Scott is a member of Plains Angels and was a member of Hyde Park Angels in Chicago, and Scott has invested in several start-up companies. Scott holds an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BA from Colgate University.
Dave Tucker
Partner
Dave is the Sr. Vice-President of Technology at Workiva. He has been in the technology industry for 30+ years with stints at large enterprises including Hewlett-Packard and Siemens and at startups including Workiva, Engineering Animation, and T.R.A.D.E., Inc. At Workiva he helped to build the development organization and the Wdesk Platform for connected reporting. He is active on the Board of Directors of the Technology Association of Iowa, serving as the Chair in 2017, and in general is active in the Iowa technology community through mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs and advising technology startups. He is also active in the Ames community as a member of the board of the Ames Economic Development Commission. Dave is a 1986 graduate of Iowa State University and currently lives in Ames with his wife, Susan.
Michael Perrin
Vice President
Michael has over eight years of experience in private equity, banking, corporate finance / M&A, and technology project management. Michael joined Next Level Ventures from Great Western Bank, a publicly-traded regional institution in the Midwest, where he was a commercial banker. He previously worked at Walmart Inc. in a number of capacities, including corporate finance, M&A, and merchandising technology. Before graduate business school, Michael spent four years in commercial real estate investment banking and private equity in Dallas, TX. He received a BS from Cornell University in 2009 and his MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth in 2015.
Wyatt Powers
Analyst
Wyatt joined Next Level Ventures in 2020 out of public accounting where he worked with a diverse set of business entities of all sizes. He is originally from Boone, Iowa and holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Accounting from Iowa State University. In addition, Wyatt is a licensed CPA in the state of Iowa.
Barbara Gooch
Director of Administration
Barbara has over 25 years of experience in all administrative activities for private equity fund management. She built the administrative infrastructure for both Churchill Capital and Northstar Capital where collectively she managed the administrative function for five separate funds. In addition, Barbara serves as the Managing Partner of Capital Management Resources where, during the past 14 years, she has developed and managed the administrative function for six private equity clients managing 11 separate funds. She also has prior experience in various administrative roles at Citicorp and CenterPoint Energy. She received an AA degree from Pillsbury College.
Tej Dhawan
Senior Advisor
Tej remains a fixture in the startup community centered in Des Moines. With a background in co-founding and leading a technology firm, he remains deeply committed to technology and its applications. As a co-founder of StartupCity Des Moines, the Startup Iowa initiative, Plains Angels investment network, a member of the Iowa Venture Capital Association, the Midwest Angel Syndicate, Rise of the Rest Iowa team and much more, his focus remains on fostering and growing the entrepreneurial ecosystem. As a part of the founding team and board member for the Global Insurance Accelerator and engagement with the Iowa Agritech Accelerator, Tej is always looking for support systems that enable innovation. A graduate of Central College and now a board member of his alma mater, Tej serves various non-profits in the community including Ballet Des Moines and the Technology Association of Iowa.
Todd Skokan
Senior Advisor
Todd is a proven and award-winning SaaS leader who brings over 25 years of experience in the human capital management industry with a track record of leading double and triple digit company growth. Todd currently serves the industry in many consultative capacities, including CEO and Founder of NPS Growth LLC, CEO and Founder of ActionablePeople and Senior Advisor to Arcoro and CEO of Workgroups DaVinci. Todd has a Bachelor of Finance degree from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln and is an enthusiastic Husker fan.
Ryan Gerhardy
Senior Advisor
Ryan has over five years of experience in investment banking, equities research and project finance. Most recently, he managed the M&A advisory team in Sydney, Australia for Grant Thornton providing middle market clients advice and execution services regarding their acquisition, divestment and capital raising activities. Ryan also worked in a similar role at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and prior to this worked at Commonwealth Bank of Australia as a sell-side research analyst and in the institutional banking property division. Ryan is originally from Perth, Australia and relocated to Des Moines in March 2014. He is a member of Plains Angels and is actively involved in the startup community in Iowa. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Notre Dame Australia and a Masters of Finance from Curtin University of Technology.