Jon Anderson
Jon is a founding partner of Ignition Capital (Igncap) and also a founder of Ignition Ventures (Ignition). Jon represents Igncap as director on the boards of Wireless Maritime Services, a joint venture with AT&T, and SeaMobile.
Jon spent nine years at Microsoft Corporation as General Manager of Worldwide Business Strategy for Steve Ballmer and as Corporate Controller. He led a team responsible for development and execution of Microsoft’s volume licensing programs, an $8 billion business. Prior to joining Microsoft, Jon was a CPA and Senior Manager with Deloitte & Touche, where he served as an advisor to companies ranging from Fortune 500 corporations to new technology start-ups.
Jon attended the University of Oregon and received his degree in business administration from Central Washington University. He enjoys tennis, travel and betting on which gadget Rich will buy next.
Rich Tong
Rich is a founding partner of Igncap. He was also co-founder in 2005 of Qiming Ventures, our Chinese affiliate, and a co-founder in 2000 of Ignition Partners, our US venture capital affiliate. He brings over 20 years of experience in marketing, operations, and management. Rich represents Igncap on the boards of SeaMobile and Liberty Dialysis. He also represents Qiming on the board of 酷我 (Koowo.com) and Ignition on the boards of La La Media and Blowtorch Entertainment.
He previously spent 12 years at Microsoft, where he most recently served as Vice President of Marketing for Microsoft Office and Windows Server products. Rich built and led the marketing teams for Windows, NT, Exchange, SQL Server, BackOffice, and Internet server. His team’s efforts catapulted Windows from a $50 million to $500 million business in two years. He is also the co-author, along with John Zagula, of the book The Marketing Playbook, a best-selling guide of marketing in the high-tech age. He has also lectured on the topic at Tsinghua University, UC Berkeley, University of Washington, and Apple. Rich holds a BSE from Princeton University in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and an MSEE and MBA from Stanford University. Rich does not believe in sleep and constantly blogs about his experiences in the US, China, and the cybersphere at tongfamily.com.
John Zagula
John is a founding partner of Ignition Capital and a co-founder of Qiming, our Chinese affiliate. He has just returned from a two year stint in Shanghai working with Qiming. John represents Ignition Capital on the board of SeaMobile. He represents Qiming on the board of PPS.TV, the only internet-based television station in world, Captiv*, the largest in-game advertising company in China, and Touce Media, a leading provider of out-of-home advertising in China. He also represents Ignition on the boards of Enclarity and Full Capture.
John is also the co-author, with Rich, of The Marketing Playbook, a best-selling guide to marketing strategies.
Previously, John spent over 8 years at Microsoft in various senior marketing and strategy positions. As GM of Global Campaigns, he was responsible for business advertising. He was also responsible for the development of the Microsoft Office brand. During his tenure, the brand’s worth grew from $50 million to a nearly $10 billion. John also pioneered the first use of internet banners, email, database marketing, and on-going marketing education. John was also a marketing manager at American Express in International Business Development and Customer Acquisition and Retention. As an associate at International Data Corporation, he wrote the first whitepaper on the Desktop Publishing.
John holds an MS in International Economics and Monetary Theory from the Fletcher School (Harvard/Tufts) and a BA (magna cum laude) from Marquette University. He was also awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and studied at Universität zu Köln. He enjoys eating strange food and then paying for it handsomely in 2-3 days time.
Robert Headley
Robert is co-founder of Igncap and oversees the day-to-day operations of all of our affiliates. He is currently based in Shanghai and makes investments for both Igncap and Qiming. Robert represents Ignition as a director on the boards of FiREapps, Enclarity, Sparkplug Broadband, and Earth Class Mail.
Prior to joining Ignition, Robert spent seven years at Starbucks Coffee Company, most recently as Vice President, Finance & Treasurer. In that role, he managed Starbucks Investor Relations, Corporate Development, Treasury, Business Planning & Analysis, and Profit Improvement functions. Robert spent three years in the Principal Investment Area and Investment Banking Division of Goldman Sachs in New York and Sydney, Australia. Robert holds an MS and BS degree with distinction in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University. He is an expert on dealing on being the calm man in any storm.
Rennie Coit
Rennie is an Operating Partner at Igncap. He provides healthcare sector expertise and management knowledge to Igncap and Ignition. He represents Ignition on the board of PaxVax and Igncap on the board of Liberty Dialysis
Previously, Rennie provided strategic planning consultation to various clients, including academic medical centers, health insurance companies, medical research organizations, and global health organizations. Rennie served as COO of UW Medicine Neighborhood Clinics and as Medical Director of Regence Blueshield. Earlier in his career, Rennie practiced general pediatrics at Virginia Mason Medical Center, where he also served as a clinic medical director.
Rennie received his BA in Biology with triple honors from UC Santa Cruz, his MD from UC San Diego, and completed his Residency in Pediatrics at the University of Washington, where he also received his MBA with honors. Rennie is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Washington. He also provides in-house consulting on everything from “strange things your kids can swallow” to “how to make a nice logo for a new private equity firm in five minutes.”
Shawn Bohnert
Shawn Bohnert serves as an Operating Partner for Igncap. In that role, he provides direct operating advice and counsel to our portfolio companies and sector specific advice as required. Previously, Shawn was EVP of Finance for Northland Services, where he led the management buyout of one of the largest barge operations serving Alaska and Hawaii. He also led the acquisition of Northland Services by Adsteam Marine. Prior to that, Shawn was CFO of a large publically traded firm in Australia and was an investment professional at Bankers Trust Australia. Shawn is a dual Australian/American citizen and holds a BS degree in engineering from the University of Washington and an MBA from Stanford University. Shawn is an expert on Australian wine particularly during five-hour dinners in Sydney.
Nikki Brokmeyer
Nikki is an Administrative Associate at Igncap. She is responsible for the management of the Seattle office, as well as supporting marketing and investment activities. Prior to joining Ignition, Nikki attended the University of Puget Sound, where she graduated summa cum laude with a BA in Business Administration and International Relations.