Chris Howard

Chris is a Principal at Ignition and invests in consumer internet and cloud computing investments and oversees Ignition’s seed program. He is on the board or an observer of Batch, Datasphere, Fotopedia, Parse, SocialEyes and worked closely with Tracksimple prior to being acquired by BlueKai. He works 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 roles, focused on startup brand development. At Heckler Associates, a leading branding firm, he launched Aravon, New Balance’s entrance in the comfort shoe segment, and Procare, New Balance’s partner program. He also worked on campaigns for PF Flyers, Suncadia, and Colgate. At Pivot + Levy, a marketing strategy and creative firm, he led business development, working with clients like Microsoft, Attachmate, and WCI Telecom.

Chris was the marketing manager at the closeout sporting goods retailer Gear.com, prior to its sale to Overstock, 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. Chris enjoys a long run along Lake Washington, cycling, skiing/snowboarding, and time with his wife and their three energetic boys.