Full Name
Nicole J. Gunderson
Job Title
Partner
Company
ManchesterStory
Speaker Bio
Nicole Gunderson is a Partner at ManchesterStory, a rapidly growing venture capital firm based in West Des Moines, Iowa, that partners with market-leading startups in the InsurTech, FinTech, and HealthTech Sectors.
Nicole oversees the full deal lifecycle, including sourcing, diligencing, championing investments, and managing portfolio companies, where she also serves as a director on four boards. Her strategic guidance has been instrumental in driving growth and innovation across the firms portfolio.
With a career spanning finance, technolog, and startups, Nicole brings expertise in early-stage operations, fundraising, investing, proving invauluable to the companies who rely on her daily trusted advisor.
Before joining ManchesterStory in 2022, Nicole served as Managing Director of the Global Insurance Accelerator (GIA), an organization driving innovation deep into the insurance industry. She spearheaded the overall growth and success of the programs, and supported the development of the accelerator’s 58 portfolio companies since its 2015 inception in Des Moines, Iowa.
Nicole began her career in 2004 in corporate and investment banking with BMO Capital Markets in Chicago, San Francisco, and New York where she worked in the leveraged finance, food, and financial sponsors groups, gaining deep analytical experience. She transitioned to the startup world at venture-backed Dwolla in 2012, growing from an MBA intern to Vice President of Sales & Strategy over nearly five years.
Nicole earned her B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Iowa Henry B. Tippie College of Business and completed M.B.A. coursework at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Nicole serves on the Vaughan Institute of Risk Management & Insurance Advisory Board at theUniversity of Iowa Tippie College of Business.
Proudly born and raised in Emmetsburg, Iowa, to a small business owner parents, Nicole lives in Des Moines, IA, with her husband, Michael, and daughters Coco and Poppy.
Nicole oversees the full deal lifecycle, including sourcing, diligencing, championing investments, and managing portfolio companies, where she also serves as a director on four boards. Her strategic guidance has been instrumental in driving growth and innovation across the firms portfolio.
With a career spanning finance, technolog, and startups, Nicole brings expertise in early-stage operations, fundraising, investing, proving invauluable to the companies who rely on her daily trusted advisor.
Before joining ManchesterStory in 2022, Nicole served as Managing Director of the Global Insurance Accelerator (GIA), an organization driving innovation deep into the insurance industry. She spearheaded the overall growth and success of the programs, and supported the development of the accelerator’s 58 portfolio companies since its 2015 inception in Des Moines, Iowa.
Nicole began her career in 2004 in corporate and investment banking with BMO Capital Markets in Chicago, San Francisco, and New York where she worked in the leveraged finance, food, and financial sponsors groups, gaining deep analytical experience. She transitioned to the startup world at venture-backed Dwolla in 2012, growing from an MBA intern to Vice President of Sales & Strategy over nearly five years.
Nicole earned her B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Iowa Henry B. Tippie College of Business and completed M.B.A. coursework at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Nicole serves on the Vaughan Institute of Risk Management & Insurance Advisory Board at theUniversity of Iowa Tippie College of Business.
Proudly born and raised in Emmetsburg, Iowa, to a small business owner parents, Nicole lives in Des Moines, IA, with her husband, Michael, and daughters Coco and Poppy.
