About Us
Ignition Capital is part of a global investment group with over $2.5 billion under management in multiple funds across three investment disciplines: private equity, venture capital, and China ventures. This family of funds includes:
- Ignition Capital Partners: focused on profitable mid to late stage companies
- Ignition Venture Partners: focused on early stage high-technology investments
- Qiming Venture Partners: focused on high-growth Chinese enterprises
Our Team
Ignition Capital is a cohesive team of cross-functional industry leaders and operating veterans who have helped create and build many of the most significant businesses in their industries. With over a hundred years of operating experience from senior positions at some of the largest companies in the world including Microsoft, AT&T, Cisco, Starbucks and American Express, we bring together a unique combination of deep industry and market knowledge, technical savvy, and battle-tested strategic and tactical insight.
Short biographies follow below. Click here for biographies of our sister funds venture capital and China teams.
Managing Directors
Jon Anderson
Jon is a founding partner of Ignition Capital and also a founder of Qiming Ventures and Ignition Ventures. Jon represents Ignition Capital on the boards of Wireless Maritime Services (a joint venture with AT&T, and SeaMobile). He also represents Ignition on a wide variety of enterprise technology companies including Jobster.com, Clear Cycle, Full Capture and Claimhub.
Jon spent nine years at Microsoft Corporation, most recently as General Manager of Worldwide Business Strategy reporting to Steve Ballmer and as Corporate Controller. He was integral to the development of the internal business systems that Microsoft uses today to monitor its business on a daily basis. Jon led the creation of the company’s current P&L, measurement and competitive reporting systems. Jon led efforts that made changes to business models for core products that lead to multi billion dollar profit contributions. Jon led or was a core member of the teams leading company acquisitions including the company’s first email product, Microsoft Mail, FoxPro, Visio and the company’s proposed merger with Intuit. He led a team responsible for development and execution of Microsoft’s volume licensing programs, an $8 billion business. He also led the group that designed all of Microsoft enterprise licensing and pricing schemes. Prior to joining Microsoft, Jon was a CPA and Senior Manager with Deloitte & Touche, where he led the team that served Microsoft from its very early stages through its initial public offering.
Jon is a CPA and attended the University of Oregon and received his degree in business administration from Central Washington University.
Rich Tong
Rich is a founding partner of Ignition Capital. He was also a co-founder of Qiming Ventures and Ignition Ventures. He brings over 20 years of experience in marketing, operations, and management. He represents Ignition Capital is on the boards of SeaMobile and Liberty Dialysis.
He previously spent 12 years at Microsoft, where he served as business strategy and marketing head for a wide range of enterprise software products including Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Windows NT, and all Microsoft server products. His efforts with Excel led to a five-fold increase in unit sales. His team’s efforts catapulted Windows from a $50 million to $500 million business in two years. Rich built and led the marketing teams for Windows NT, Exchange, SQL Server, BackOffice, and Internet server. These efforts turned around Microsoft’s enterprise selling efforts from a $100 million a year money losing business into a $2 billion profitable enterprise in 18 months. He most recently served as Vice President of Marketing for Microsoft Office and Windows Server products. He led an overall marketing and sales reorganization and turnaround effort that ultimately recommended a broad-scale 40% reduction and consolidation in marketing resources and a similar effort in reorganizing the product divisions at Microsoft.
He is also the co-author, along with John Zagula, of the book The Marketing Playbook, a best-selling guide of business strategy in the high-tech age. He has also lectured on the topic at Tsinghua University, UC Berkeley, University of Washington, and Apple Computer. Rich holds a BSE in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Princeton University. He also holds both an MS in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from Stanford University.
John Zagula
John is a founding partner of Ignition Capital and a co-founder of Qiming Ventures. John represents Ignition Capital on the boards of SeaMobile, Oriental Cambridge and eHi. John also represents Ignition Ventures in a variety of enterprise services business such as Enclarity, a leading provider of healthcare information services, and Full Capture in the insurance services market. He recently spent two years in Shanghai building our Chinese affiliate there. He represents Qiming on the board of PPS.TV, the largest Internet television network.
Previously, John spent over 8 years at Microsoft in various senior marketing and strategy positions. As General Manager of Global Marketing Campaigns, he was responsible for business advertising. He was also responsible for the development of the Microsoft Office brand. During his tenure, the Office revenues 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. Prior to Microsoft, John was 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 Desktop Publishing.
John is also the co-author, with Rich, of The Marketing Playbook, a best-selling guide to business strategies taking lessons from information services and technology companies around the globe. 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.
Operating Partners
Shawn Bohnert
Shawn Bohnert is an operating partner of Ignition Capital. He provides public market, financial, operational and management expertise to Ignition’s portfolio companies. Shawn recently led the start-up of Ignition Energy, our Australian energy investment business.
After graduating from University of Washington in 1981 with a B.S. degree in electrical engineering, Shawn worked as a field engineer in Alaska for Schlumberger Limited, the global oil field technology and services company. Upon completion of his MBA at Stanford University in 1987, he became an investment banker and worked extensively on corporate financings and M&A transactions in both the U.S. and Australia.
While in Australia Shawn structured and co-managed the “PIPE” takeover of Avatar Industries, a public diversified industrial company. He became CFO of this public listed company in 1995 and led Avatar’s takeover activities in the local market. In addition to leading operational development and restructuring activities at the divisional level, Shawn led the build out of the Avatar corporate investment team. He held primary responsibility for the following areas: acquisitions & divestitures; financing; strategic planning & business development; investor relations; financial reporting & control; treasury and risk management; information technology; and, tax, legal & regulatory.
Shawn returned to Seattle in 2000 as President of Adsteam USA, a subsidiary of Adsteam Marine Limited, an Australian public-listed maritime transportation company. He led Adsteam’s acquisition of Northland Services, a shipping company that serves Alaska and Hawaii with year-round common carrier service, and subsequently served as CEO. Shawn led an extensive restructuring of Northland’s operations and management team, an exercise culminating in the hiring of an industry veteran CEO and the ultimate sale of the company by Adsteam. Shawn wrote the business plan for the management buyout of Northland and successfully led the acquisition of the company in 2004. Since that time Northland has grown earnings by 50% and paid dividends to its shareholders totaling double the original equity investment. Shawn continues to have an active role as an officer and director of Northland with direct responsibility for: finance/accounting, legal and information technology.
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.
Rennie Coit
Rennie is an operating partner at Ignition Capital. He provides healthcare sector expertise and management knowledge. He represents us on the boards of PaxVax, a next generation drug delivery company, and Liberty Dialysis, the sixth largest dialysis chain in the US.
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.
Ty Graham
Ty is an operating partner with Ignition Capital. He focuses on telecommunication services and on turnarounds of existing businesses in deep value situations. He has been involved in financial management and business operations for more than 22 years. Previously, Ty was Vice President of Business Development and Operations for SeaMobile. He was part of the initial buyout team that acquired SeaMobile’s largest asset, MTN Satellite. He subsequently led the turnaround of several businesses within SeaMobile.
Ty previously held a wide variety of executive positions at McCaw Cellular, AT&T Wireless and Cingular. He managed mobile communications business development in more than 15 countries. Ty led a team that secured a $1 billion of Indian cellular licenses and ultimate became CEO of the operating entity, Idea Cellular. He managed from inception, the company’s 1,500+ employees and more than 1.5 million subscribers. He helped negotiate the first non-recourse telecommunications project finance debt facility in Indian history, valued at more than $283 million, and concluded multiple mergers and acquisition transactions that each exceeded $150 million. Today, Idea Cellular is one of the largest mobile operators in India.
Mr. Graham holds an M.B.A. from Seattle University and an undergraduate degree in business from the University of Washington, where he lettered for three years as a member of the varsity crew team.
Kelly Rodriques
Kelly Rodriques is an operating partner with Ignition Capital. He focuses on commerce and technology based media companies.
He is an initial investor and board member of MFoundry and co-founder of Blowtorch Media. Both, Ignition Partners investments.
Kelly was CEO of Totality, now an advanced managed software and services which he turned around and sold to Verizon Business in 2004. Previously, he was CEO of Novo, an internet marketing and media company Novo which he sold to Publicis in 2001.
Professionals
Darrell Walker
Darrell Walker is an operating principal with Ignition Capital. He has over 20 years of experience in the information technology and services companies. Previously, Darrell headed an IT and telecommunication services company’s insurance, legal, financial and technology verticals. He was also director of global networking for AEI Music, a leading supplier of content globally. Prior to that, Darrell was part of the enterprise service and sales team at Microsoft. He was one of the first 100 professionals to receive Microsoft’s highest technical level of technical competency, the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer. Darrell holds a BA from UC Riverside and lettered for two years in Varsity Basketball at the University of San Francisco.
Nikki Brokmeyer
Nikki is an administrative associate with Igncap. 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.
Jennifer Snyder
Jennifer is an office manager and administrative associate with Igncap. Previously, Jennifer spent five years as HR and Administrative Manager for Ticor Title, part of the largest title insurance and escrow company in US. Jennifer earned her BA in English from Washington State University and holds a certificate in HR Management from the University of Washington.