# Nicole Van Der Tuin

> Nicole Van Der Tuin is the co-founder and CEO of First Access, a New York-based fintech that turns mobile phone records into credit scores for borrowers across Africa, Asia and Latin America. She now also serves as Chief Experience Officer at Accion Opportunity Fund. Fast Company named her one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business in 2016. She holds an MPA from Columbia SIPA and a BA with highest honors from Kenyon College.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & Board Chair at First Access; Chief Experience Officer at Accion Opportunity Fund
- **Organizations:** First Access, Accion Opportunity Fund, Techstars, Unreasonable Group, MicroWorld, Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE)
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** AB, cultural anthropology, economics and writing (highest honors), Kenyon College, MPA, economic development and statistics, Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), Study abroad, Tsinghua University, Study abroad, School for International Training (Brazil)
- **Known for:** Fast Company 100 Most Creative People in Business, 2016 (only fintech pick), Columbia SIPA Emerging Leader Award, 2022, Analyzed more than 50 billion mobile phone transactions through First Access

## Career timeline

- **2007** — Graduates from Kenyon College with highest honors.
- **2008-2010** — Works with MicroWorld, a Paris-based peer-to-peer microfinance platform, and with the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs.
- **2011** — Founds First Access while still a graduate student at Columbia SIPA.
- **2012** — Completes MPA at Columbia SIPA.
- **2015** — First Access partners with Accion Venture Lab.
- **2016** — Named one of Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in Business - the only fintech founder on the list.
- **2017** — First Access closes a $7M Series A. Announces expanded microfinance fintech collaboration with FINCA.
- **2018** — Unreasonable GOALS Fellow.
- **2021** — Joins Accion Opportunity Fund as Chief Analytics Officer.
- **2022** — Receives the SIPA Emerging Leader Award from Columbia University.
- **2023** — Becomes a Techstars mentor. Moves into Chief Experience Officer role at Accion Opportunity Fund.

## Achievements

- Fast Company 100 Most Creative People in Business, 2016 (only fintech pick)
- Columbia SIPA Emerging Leader Award, 2022
- Analyzed more than 50 billion mobile phone transactions through First Access
- Scored over 500,000 loan applications through First Access
- Reduced lender evaluation costs by an estimated 65% for partner banks
- Announced the world's largest microfinance/fintech collaboration with FINCA
- Raised $9.25M total across seed and Series A rounds for First Access

## Latest updates

- **2023-05** — Publicly promoting DoorDash's Accelerator for Local Restaurants through Accion Opportunity Fund.
- **2023-01** — Joined Techstars as a mentor.
- **2022-05** — Received the Columbia SIPA Emerging Leader Award.

## Links

- Website: https://firstaccess.co
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolevandertuin
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/nicole_vdt
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_qn5VbcPVM

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/nicole-van-der-tuin
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-09