Founders

The founders of QuickFi previously built and exited one of the most successful commercial finance businesses in the U.S.

QuickFi is changing the $1 trillion Dollar per year U.S. business equipment financing market, by instilling trust and transparency into every loan. The founders realized the opportunity to imagine and build a new, borrower self-service lending platform to better serve creditworthy corporate borrowers using the latest technology to dramatically improve the borrower experience.

Bill Verhelle | Chief Executive Officer

Bill founded First American Equipment Finance, Harvard Partners, LLC and Innovation Finance USA LLC.

In 20 years as CEO of First American, the company received numerous awards, including being recognized eight times on the prestigious Inc 500/5000 listing, being recognized by Fortune Magazine in 2012 as one of the twenty best workplaces in financial services in the US, and being recognized repeatedly by the Best Companies Group as the best place to work in New York State (#1 in 2012).

Bill earned a BA from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA and a Doctor of Laws (JD) from Cornell Law School and is a member of the New York Bar Association. Bill is past Chairman of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) in Washington, D.C. and past Chairman of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Foundation.

Read Bill's full biography here.

View Bill's LinkedIn profile here.

Bill Verhelle | Chief Executive Officer

As founder of First American Equipment Finance and Harvard Partners, LLC, Bill is an entrepreneur and industry thought leader. In 20 years as CEO of First American, the company received numerous awards, including being recognized eight times on the prestigious Inc 500/5000 listing, being recognized by Fortune Magazine in 2012 as one of the twenty best workplaces in financial services in the US, and being recognized repeatedly by the Best Companies Group as the best place to work in New York State (#1 in 2012).

Read Bill's full biography here.

View Bill's LinkedIn profile here.

Bill Verhelle
Chief Executive Officer

Mark Tomaselli | President

As President and CTO of Innovation Finance, Mark is responsible for all aspects of product development, QuickFi Platform strategy, and QuickFi mobile app engineering.

Prior to joining Innovation Finance, Mark served as CIO at First American Equipment Finance (RBC’s US equipment finance business) where he guided the company's technology vision, strategy and execution. Mark has also held senior management positions with Fortune 500 companies, including Sun Microsystems and Frontier Communications.

Mark’s insights are sought in both finance and technology. He frequently presents on fintech topics and was recognized by industry peers as an “Industry Icon” in disruption. Mark holds a BS in Information Technology as well as several patents for commercial lending technology solutions.

Mark Tomaselli | President

As President and CTO of Innovation Finance, Mark is responsible for all aspects of product development, QuickFi Platform strategy, and QuickFi mobile app engineering.

Mark Tomaselli
President

Mike Ziegelmann | Chief Financial Officer

As CFO of Innovation Finance, Mike sets financial and credit strategy and builds the relationships and processes needed for sound, scalable lending practices.

Mike started his career in public accounting from 1992 to 2000, where he worked at Rehmann, a top regional firm. Mike then served as CFO of First American Equipment Finance from 2001 until 2008, when he became First American’s Chief Credit Officer. Mike served as Chief Credit Officer of First American until 2018, when he joined Innovation Finance. Mike received First American’s Chairman’s Award in 2014, the Company’s highest honor. Mike is a member of the AICPA, and is actively involved in the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association, including previously serving on the ELFA Accounting Committee and on the ELFA CFO Roundtable.

Mike graduated from Central Michigan University.

Mike Ziegelmann | Chief Financial Officer

Mike served as CFO of First American Equipment Finance from 2001 until 2008, when he became First American’s Chief Credit Officer. Mike served as Chief Credit Officer of First American until 2018, when he joined Innovation Finance.

As Frist American’s Chief Credit Officer, Mike developed and implemented the company’s highly successful credit policies, resulting in company-wide, cumulative net charge offs of less than 1% over nearly a full decade. Mike continued to serve as Chief Credit Officer and directed and managed the firm’s transition into the bank credit underwriting system, following First American’s acquisition by City National Bank / Royal Bank of Canada in 2012. Mike also received First American’s Chairman’s Award in 2014, the Company’s highest honor.

As CFO of Innovation Finance, Mike sets financial and credit strategy and builds the relationships and processes needed for sound, scalable lending practices. Mike started his career in 1992 in public accounting and worked at Rehmann, a top regional firm. A key member of Innovation Finance leadership, Mike is a member of the AICPA, and is actively involved in the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association, including previously serving on the ELFA Accounting Committee and on the ELFA CFO Roundtable.

Mike Ziegelmann
Chief Financial Officer

Nate Gibbons | Chief Experience Officer

Nate oversees the company's strategy for customer interactions and the overall customer experience. He is particularly interested in leveraging automation to enable dramatic improvements to the customer experience.

Nate began his career at First American Equipment Finance. It was here that he eventually assumed a role as Vice President in the Operations department before being asked to help develop and manage the company's learning and professional development strategy. While at First American, Nate received the Chairman's Award (the company's highest honor) for excellence in character and leadership. Nate is a strong advocate for the commercial leasing industry and its members. He has served as Chair of the Emerging Talent Advisory Council for the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), and he currently serves on the ELFA's Board of Directors, the ELFA's Academic Outreach Committee and the Board of Directors for the Certified Lease & Finance Professional foundation.

Nate has an MBA from the University of Rochester – Simon School of Business and a BA in Spanish from the University of Rochester.

Read Nate's most recent article on the Impact of Consumer Behavior on Technology Enhancements

Nate Gibbons | Chief Experience Officer

Nate has an MBA from the University of Rochester – Simon School of Business and a BA in Spanish from the University of Rochester.

Read Nate's most recent article on the Impact of Consumer Behavior on Technology Enhancements

Nate Gibbons
Chief Experience Officer

Courtney Dioguardi | Senior Vice President

Courtney Dioguardi is a Senior Vice President at Innovation Finance USA LLC where she is responsible for partner engagements.

After graduating from St. John Fisher College, Courtney began her career at First American Equipment Finance in the credit and operations department in 2005. Courtney went on to serve in various operations and innovation leadership roles at First American for 15 years. Courtney is a recipient of First American’s Chairman’s Award, the Company’s highest honor.

Courtney is a Certified Lease and Finance Professional and previously served on the CLFP Board of Directors.

Courtney Dioguardi | Senior Vice President

Courtney Dioguardi is a Senior Vice President at Innovation Finance USA LLC where she is responsible for partner engagements.

Courtney is a Certified Lease and Finance Professional and previously served on the CLFP Board of Directors.

Courtney Dioguardi
Senior Vice President

Mendel Guillaume | Senior Vice President Engineering

Mendel has over 18 years of experience architecting and implementing software applications. In his role at Innovation Finance, Mendel leads a team of highly motivated and talented individuals who build and deliver robust, scalable services and experiences.

Prior to joining Innovation Finance, Mendel founded Sentient Grey, a Salesforce consulting and development firm.

Mendel holds a Master’s degree in Information Technology from Rochester Institute of Technology, a BA in Mathematics and a BS in Computer Science from Brooklyn College.

Mendel Guillaume | Senior Vice President, Engineering

Prior to joining Innovation Finance, Mendel founded Sentient Grey, a Salesforce consulting and development firm.

Mendel holds a Master’s degree in Information Technology from Rochester Institute of Technology, a BA in Mathematics and a BS in Computer Science from Brooklyn College.

Mendel Guillaume
Senior Vice President, Engineering

Zack Miller | Senior Vice President, Operations

As SVP of Operations at Innovation Finance USA LLC, Zack oversees transaction processing and workflow strategy. His priority is to provide customers and partners with a unique, fast and seamless financing experience through the use of technology and automation.

Zack has extensive experience with lease/loan documentation and transaction requirements, regulatory compliance requirements, syndications and customer service from almost a decade of service at First American Equipment Finance (RBC’s US equipment finance business). During his tenure at First American, Zack served some of its most sophisticated clients, served as an operations officer leading two industry focused teams, and was a recipient of First American’s Operations Person of the Year Award.

Zack is a graduate of St. John Fisher College and is a Certified Lease and Finance Professional. He resides in western New York with his wife, Kate, son, Mason, and daughter, Sophie.

Zack Miller | SVP Operations

Zack is a graduate of St. John Fisher College and is a Certified Lease and Finance Professional. He resides in western New York with his wife, Kate, son, Mason, and daughter, Sophie.

Zack Miller
Senior Vice President, Operations

Jillian Munson | Vice President, Process and Automation

As Vice President of Process and Automation, Jillian leads core technology initiatives at QuickFi. She analyzes internal and customer-facing business processes to determine how automation can transform traditionally manual workflows into automated, digitized experiences.

Jillian Munson | Vice President, Process and Automation

Jillian Munson
Vice President, Process and Automation

Joe Vu | Senior Vice President, Marketing

As Senior Vice President of Marketing, Joe plans and implements the go-to-market strategy for the QuickFi brand. Utilizing marketing technology and creativity, Joe brings nearly 10 years of experience to build out unique, engaging customer journeys.

Prior to joining Innovation Finance, Joe was heavily involved with the digital transformation strategy at a global dental manufacturer.

Joe Vu | SVP Marketing

As Senior Vice President of Marketing, Joe plans and implements the go-to-market strategy for the QuickFi brand.. Utilizing marketing technology and creativity, Joe brings nearly 10 years of experience to build out unique, engaging customer journeys.

Prior to joining Innovation Finance, Joe was heavily involved with the digital transformation strategy at a global dental manufacturer.

Joe Vu
Senior Vice President, Marketing

Andre Latour | Vice President, Partnerships

As a Vice President of Partnerships, Andre leverages sales technology to recruit and obtains strategic partnerships with OEMs and technology manufacturing companies to enable digital innovation in lending.

Prior to joining Innovation Finance, Andre was a NCAA Division I Collegiate Swimming & Diving Coach for Oakland University. During his time, his integral success led him and his team to 22 consecutive conference championships and numerous NCAA All American’s.

Andre earned his bachelor’s degree and a master’s in communications and minored in business from Oakland University in Rochester Hills, Michigan. He resides in Rochester Hills Mi with his girlfriend and his golden retriever Zeus!

View Andre’s Linkedln profile here.

Andre Latour | Vice Preisdent, Partnerships

View Andre’s Linkedln profile here.

Andre Latour
Vice President, Partnerships

Ben Staffan | Lead iOS Developer

As Lead iOS Developer, Ben helped design, code, and publish QuickFi to both iOS and Android app stores. Ben is committed to driving development through user testing and implementing customer feedback. In doing so, he focuses on streamlining user experience and app security.

Ben earned his degree in Computer Science from SUNY University at Buffalo.

Ben Staffan | Lead iOS Developer

As Innovation Finance’s Lead iOS Developer, Ben helps continuously design and push the development of the QuickFi mobile app by intelligently and systematically implementing customer feedback. Ben is laser-focused on streamlining the user experience and maintaining application security. Ben earned his degree in Computer Science from SUNY University at Buffalo.

Ben Staffan
Lead iOS Developer

Manu Suresh | UX Engineer

As our UX Engineer, Manu is responsible for the design and development of QuickFi on the android platform. His prior experience includes UX design, java and android development to web design and development.
He holds a Master’s degree in Human Computer Interaction from Rochester Institute of Technology and a Bachelor’s in Computer Science from New Horizon College of Engineering, Bangalore, India.

Manu Suresh | UX Engineer

Manu Suresh
UX Engineer

Clark Masterson | Partner Program Manager

Clark Masterson | Partner Program Manager

Clark Masterson
Partner Program Manager

Jennifer Zimmerman | Senior Strategic Partnership Manager

As a Senior Strategic Partnership Manager at QuickFi, Jennifer specializes in forging and nurturing high-impact partnerships that drive growth and innovation. Her expertise lies at the intersection of strategy, negotiation, and relationship management, enabling her to create and sustain alliances that deliver exceptional value and results.

Jennifer Zimmerman | Senior Strategic Partnership Manager

Jennifer Zimmerman
Senior Strategic Partnership Manager

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