John Richards

John Richards is Managing Partner of Startup Ignition Ventures, a Utah-based pre-seed venture fund focused on vertical B2B SaaS, workflow automation, and capital-efficient startups. He works with founders on customer discovery, go-to-market strategy, fundraising, pricing, and early revenue execution. John also operates FirstStep Capital and brings experience across venture investing, venture debt, entrepreneurship education, public procurement, and legal/compliance-oriented business environments. He is a licensed Utah attorney and frequently advises founders on how to turn broad startup ideas into narrow, fundable wedges with clear ICPs, urgent pain, immediate ROI, and realistic paths to revenue. He is available for expert commentary on startups, venture capital, B2B SaaS, AI in busin...