At American Family Ventures, we understand that being a pioneer has its risks. But pioneers are the first to learn and to evolve, and the expertise that comes from that journey has never been more valuable. Insurance is entering a period of profound transformation. Anyone seeking to capitalize on this moment needs a partner to guide them. We’ve established ourselves as that venture partner of choice: for investors, for portfolio companies, and for startups in general. True partners. Real expertise. Welcome to American Family Ventures.
Seed to Series B
Insurance innovation,
FinTech, Data/Analytics,
IoT and Cyber Security
Typically range from
$250K — $5M
To us, a portfolio isn’t a roster of companies. It’s a community of partners we team with to create new paths to growth.
Clearcover is a smarter car insurance choice. We deliver the right coverage, when it matters, so you can pay less.
Vesper manufactures piezoelectric MEMS microphones that are able to withstand water, dust, and other contaminants as well as capable of zero powered listening.
Rentable is a Madison-based startup with the mission of creating a new, better apartment listing service.
YourMechanic is an online marketplace that connects drivers in need of routine auto maintenance with mechanics who are able to provide services on demand and on-site.
ingeniousIO has developed a SaaS platform that is enabling data-driven construction project management across the full construction ecosystem.
hometap ’s mission is to improve the lives of homeowners by allowing them to easily sell a portion of their house without selling their home.
teraki 's unique edge processing technology solves the performance issues and the cost challenges for connected cars and autonomous driving
ProTecht builds technology for the experience economy; from insurance and payments to fraud and bot security.
Reggora is the industry’s leading all-in-one appraisal software for mortgage lenders and real estate appraisers
Neat Capital is a home financing platform that delivers real-time loan production and digital transformation beyond the point of application.
Branch offers a low priced, bundled home + auto insurance product through a digital instant quote-and-bind buying process
Tire Agent sells tires, wheels, auto and wheel insurance, and other services. Through Tire Agent, a customer can purchase tires and wheels, deliver them to a local installer, and schedule the installation, entirely online.
Wyze is a value-oriented smart home/consumer IoT company that is positioned to be an end-to-end interconnected product ecosystem under one brand.
Choosing Therapy is a tele-therapy platform that aggregates the demand for therapists and matches the demand through core competency of user acquisition (ie. conversion) and content marketing (lead-gen).
Red Balloon Security is the first platform-independent, real-time, host-based intrusion defense system. Red Balloon builds persistent implant detection and situational awareness capabilities that can be installed on any embedded device.
Review Trackers is a simple, fast & easy way to track reviews & receive review alerts. Monitor the Web 24/7 so you can listen & respond to what customers are saying.
Turtlemint is a tech-enabled, exclusive agent-based brokerage based in Mumbai that sells Auto, Life, Health and Bike insurance. TurtleMintPro, TurtleMint’s agent platform is mobile-first, paperless, allows agents to quote and bind online and includes a CRM and lead management tools.
Gradient delivers predictive analytics, decision support and workflow automation for the insurance industry.
Spark is a tech-enabled FMO (Field Marketing Organization) that uses a combination of technology and services to help individual Medicare agents acquire, enroll and retain policyholders.
Sana Benefits provides competitively-priced, high-quality health insurance products to small and medium size business.
A team that hustles and delivers
Dan has worked as a strategy consultant with the Boston Consulting Group and in various strategic roles at American Family Insurance. He has experience as a principal in two start-up companies. Additionally, his work history includes hospital administration at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and a career as a professional baseball player with the Baltimore Orioles. Dan holds an MBA with a concentration in Strategic Management from the University of Chicago and an undergraduate degree from Stanford University.
Peter Gunder joined American Family Insurance as Vice President of Investments in 2008. He was named Senior Vice President in February 2010, and Chief Investment Officer in May 2011. In January 2013, Peter was named Executive Vice President responsible for product management for home and auto insurance, enterprise strategy, mergers and acquisition, investments and innovation. In January 2014 he was named Chief Business Development Officer. Before joining the company, Peter was co-founder, chief investment officer and managing director of Cardinal Investment Advisors in Chicago. He served as a financial analyst for Procter & Gamble and Atlantic Richfield before becoming treasurer and chief investment officer for MMI Companies. Peter earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, later receiving an MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
Katelyn has spent the past several years as an early stage investor heavily focused B2B enterprise solutions in NYC, Boston, and Philadelphia. She is highly engaged with the entrepreneurial community serving as an active mentor at TechStars, Harvard Business School, MIT, and MassChallenge. Katelyn also sits on the New England Venture Capital Association's board of advisers subcommittee, focused on supporting the growth and development of venture investors, and serves as executive director of the Horn Program VC Council at the University of Delaware. She is an engineer by training, having started her career as a medical device engineer before attending Harvard Business School.
Kyle partners with founding teams on market, product and pricing strategy, accelerating their time to market and increasing the pace of their top line growth. Kyle is a deep subject matter expert in Catastrophes, Weather & Climate, and Flood Risk and Policy and is particularly passionate about improving the health of our oceans. Kyle is a father of two based in the Boston area, with ties to the San Francisco Bay Area and the Midwest. He is an explorer by nature and enjoys jamming on his guitars with friends, cooking authentic BBQ, running and playing tennis.
Molly leads the AFV Platform team and is focused on accelerating growth of the portfolio, strengthening AFV's partner network, and developing the AFV brand globally. She began her career at AFV as a Senior Analyst working on sourcing opportunities and supporting the deal process. Prior to AFV, she served as director of partner relations for Gillware, a data services company, and director of the Wisconsin Innovation Network. When she’s not spending time with her two dogs, Katie and Jack, Molly can be found on the golf course.
Andy brings two decades of brand, marketing, and communications excellence to the AFV Platform team. An award-winning writer, independent producer, and keynote presenter, he regularly teams with members of AFV’s ecosystem on how to best articulate their story for power and impact. Prior to AFV, Andy worked at the heart of American Family Insurance’s brand revitalization, as well as with leading local and national financial institutions as a marketing research consultant. He now resides in Middleton, Wisconsin, with his charming wife and exhausting children.
Amanda's experience sits at the intersection of insurance, startups, and healthcare. She was previously an investor at Founder Equity, an early-stage venture fund in Chicago, where she led new investments and supported growth of portfolio companies. Prior to venture, Amanda held several roles in the health insurance industry, working for both Blue Cross and Blue Shield of IL, MT, NM, OK, and TX and a strategic operating partner to Mutual of Omaha's Medicare Advantage plan. She began her career at Healthbox, a former startup accelerator, and has since mentored dozens of companies innovating within healthtech and digital health. Amanda is a graduate of the University of Michigan with a degree in Brain, Behavior, and Cognitive Science and later pursued a master's degree in Healthcare Administration from Rush University in Chicago.
Throughout his professional career, Mike has gained broad experience across a variety of risk management and insurance functions, including commercial insurance claims at a major insurance company, underwriting at one of the world’s largest conglomerates, and corporate risk management at a global consulting firm. Mike holds a BBA and MBA with a concentration in Risk Management & Insurance from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
As an analyst, Cooper focuses on deal diligence and sourcing, as well as firm value-additive projects. A graduate of the University of Iowa, he has held previous positions in accounting, wealth management, and corporate finance. While at Iowa, Cooper also served as CFO of the Graduate and Professional Student Government, Teaching Assistant for Financial Information Technology, and as an Equity Research Analyst for the University of Iowa endowment's Henry Fund. Cooper holds a BBA and MS in Finance.
CJ Armbrust began working for American Family Ventures as a Business Development Analyst in August 2017. He is a graduate of Marquette University's Computer Science program, where he also earned a minor in Business Administration. He recently returned to AFV after working for SixSibs Capital as a Venture Capital Principal, where he specialized in sourcing and evaluating supply chain and manufacturing startups. Previously, CJ interned at Momentum Labs, a startup in San Francisco that acquired niche mobile applications, as well as TechnoServe, an international development non-profit in Washington, D.C.
Contact: contact@amfamventures.com