The operator
behind Auringon.
Auringon (OW‑ring‑gon) is the consulting practice of Jonathan Internicola. For a decade I’ve done the work under other titles. The job never changed: arrive, build the machinery, leave once it runs.
Four seats, one job
Every role I’ve held had the same shape: arrive where the strategy is stalling, build the machinery, leave once it runs.
The startup seat
Bandwagon, a shared-mobility startup, made me chief operating officer just after it furloughed the team. I rebuilt the operation into a company worth backing again, and the funding bought it a second wind.
At Fleet, a commuter-benefits platform, I’ve turned ideas and scaffolding into a working product and operation, from seed toward a Series A, first as COO and then as Chief Product Officer.
Shipping a new service line in chaos →The government seat
The Taxi & Limousine Commission brought me on in multiple capacities. First to run analytics, where the role grew into the agency’s first product practice.
Then as Chief Experience and Transformation Officer, standing up a technology overhaul decades overdue. Most of the job was refusing to re-pour the bad processes the old systems had set in concrete.
Building a product practice inside a regulator →The vendor seat
At Ad Hoc, a government-technology consultancy, I worked both ends of the business: coaching delivery teams so the work kept serving the client’s mission, and shaping and pitching the engagements that grew the account.
I’ve been the client and the vendor. I know where the handoff between them fails.
Growing an account from the inside →The standards seat
I led New York’s contribution to the Mobility Data Specification through OMF’s board and steering committee. 160-plus cities, 200-plus operators.
Auringon came from a pattern I kept seeing. The idea was there, and the means to pursue it. What was missing was the operation to run it. Each time I built it, it ran.
The name is Finnish: auringon, of the sun. In the north, it’s the sun that brings the landscape back to life. An operation does the same for an idea: it turns intent into something that runs, and gives it room to grow.
Working with Jonathan, in other people’s words
“A talented, visionary director who over and over again was able to operationalize strategies that furthered the mission of the agency while demonstrating the value of human-centered design and advanced analytics.”
Elizabeth Ferguson, Design Researcher, US Office of Personnel Management
“He joined during a time of extreme growth and chaos. His calm demeanor and strategic approach got our group focused on the right things. He left the organization in a much better place.”
Nancy Whittier, then Vice President, Ad Hoc
“Persistent in challenging the old, bureaucratic ways of doing business. He redesigned the processes around them and led a high-performing team through genuinely challenging times.”
Vincent Chin, then Chief Financial Officer, NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission
“A creative and persistent problem solver. In a resource- and process-constrained environment, he attracted talent that had proven elusive and built workable solutions around the limits. Never one to accept the status quo.”
Mark S. Lee, Managing Director, NYC Kids RISE
“He challenged me to grow my product within real constraints, structured a plan to advance my career, and coached me through my first managerial role. He continually advocated for me.”
Amani Farooque, Director of Product, NJ Office of Innovation
“He consistently emerged as a business leader: pulling teams together, orchestrating the turnaround of compelling bid responses, and creating much-needed structure in a fast-growing organization.”
Dan Munz, Account Director, Ad Hoc
“He played a major role in preparing TLC’s processes and systems for the future. His business acumen is unparalleled, delivering immediate and comprehensive results for staff and customers.”
Amit Agarwal, Chief Information Officer, NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission