PRESS & MEDIA
Resources for journalists, podcasters, and anyone covering the Utah startup ecosystem.
ABOUT STARTUP IGNITION
Startup Ignition is a pre-seed venture capital firm and founder development ecosystem based in Provo, Utah. Founded in 2015 by John Richards and Tyler Richards, the firm operates three connected pillars: a startup bootcamp that has trained over 1,000 founders, a $20M pre-seed venture fund (est. 2022) investing $100K–$1M into B2B software and AI companies, and an AI-powered ToolSuite for startup validation.
The fund is led by a cross-generational team — John brings 30+ years of angel investing and 200+ startup investments including early checks into Omniture, Fusion-io, Ancestry, Skullcandy, and Lyft. Tyler founded and exited DevMountain (acquired in year four by a multi-billion dollar public education company) and was named to Utah's 2025 40 Under 40.
Startup Ignition's philosophy: elephants over unicorns. Drive to revenue, validate before you build, and get profitable — not just funded.
KEY FACTS
LEADERSHIP
John Richards
Managing Partner
Early internet veteran who took a company public on the NASDAQ in the 1990s. Over 30 years as one of the Intermountain West's most prolific angel investors with 200+ investments — including early checks into Omniture (acquired by Adobe for $1.8B), Fusion-io, Ancestry, Skullcandy, Lyft, and Control4. Headed BYU's entrepreneurship program for 12 years. Led Google Fiber operations in Utah.
Tyler Richards
Co-Founder & General Partner
Founded DevMountain — one of the first coding bootcamps — and exited via acquisition in year four to a multi-billion dollar public education company. Named to Utah's 2025 40 Under 40. Leads venture operations, built the ToolSuite AI platform, and oversees the firm's portfolio strategy.
IN THE NEWS
Startup Ignition Ventures Launches New Fund for Early-stage Startups
July 2025 BusinessQ MagazineTyler Richards — 2025 40 Under 40
2025 Voyage UtahCommunity Highlights: Meet John Richards of Startup Ignition
Feature BYU Marriott SchoolScaling the Silicon Slopes — Tyler Richards
Alumni Spotlight TechCrunchInside DevMountain's Sweet Code School
May 2017 TechBuzz News4StudentLives Raises $600K From Startup Ignition
PortfolioPODCAST APPEARANCES
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