Our Strategic Investment Team

Craig has over 25 years of investment, entrepreneurial and senior management experience in the US and globally and is the founder and Managing Partner of Next Level Ventures, the largest strategic investment firm in Iowa. Craig leads the management of three funds today. With his deep roots in technology, startups...

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...

Dave is the former Sr. Vice-President of Technology at Workiva, which he helped to grow from under 10 people pre-revenue to a public company with over $350M revenue. He also helped to grow the development organization to over 350 people. He has been in the technology industry for 30+ years...

Michael has over 10 years of experience in private equity, banking, corporate finance / M&A, and technology project management. Michael joined Next Level Ventures in 2019 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...

Martin has over 30 years of experience leading technology, innovation, marketing, product and sales teams. He joined Next Level Ventures in 2021 from Sound Credit Union, the sixth-largest credit union in Washington state, where he was the Vice President of Digital Experience & Innovation. Martin's previous experience also includes ten...

Elizabeth Caven is a seasoned entrepreneur with personal experience from the founder's perspective in venture funding and scaling through to acquisition. As a founder, she has received international recognition as a stand-out leader by acclaimed tech publications, the Small Business Administration, and APEC. Previously, Elizabeth invested in and worked with...

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...

Liz has over seven years of experience in startup operations, venture capital and economic development. Liz joined Next Level Ventures in 2021 from Ag Ventures Alliance, an early-stage AgTech investment firm, where she led deal flow, due diligence and investments. Prior to Ag Ventures, Liz worked at VentureNet Iowa, 1839...

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. Whether you’re looking for startup investing...

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...

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...

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,...