Chris is a Senior Associate at Ignition, principally focused on consumer, digital marketing and cloud/virtualization. He is an observer on the boards of Appature, Datasphere, Fotopedia, Keas and TrackSimple and works closely with Ignition’s Entrepreneurs in Residence and portfolio companies on product definition, market segmentation and positioning, customer acquisition and retention, business development, recruiting, and fundraising.

Prior to joining Ignition, Chris spent 10 years in advertising and marketing, focused on startup brand development. At Heckler Associates, a leading brand development firm, he launched Aravon, New Balance's entrance in the comfort shoe segment, and Procare, New Balance's partner program for fit specialists. He also worked with PF Flyers, Suncadia, and Colgate. At Pivot + Levy, a marketing strategy and creative firm, he led business development, working with clients like Microsoft, Attachmate, WCI Telecom and Columbia Hospitality.

 

Chris had previously founded and bootstrapped a graphic design and illustration firm (in what turned out to be the worst market to start a design/illustration business). He caught the startup bug from his role as a marketing manager at the closeout sporting goods retailer Gear.com, prior to its sale to Overstock.com, where he ran offline and online marketing, including online advertising and sponsorships, search engine marketing, email marketing, as well as traditional ad campaigns. Chris began his career at Team One Advertising as an account executive, managing the national brand campaigns for Lexus and the American Cancer Society.

Chris earned his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Occidental College and an M.B.A. from the University of Washington where he was a McGowan Scholar.When he's not working with a portfolio company or closing the next deal, Chris enjoys a long run along Lake Washington, cycling, skiing/snowboarding, and time with his wife and their three energetic boys.