MEET THE RUNNER: Jess Rosen

How did you learn about/get involved with Pitch and Run?

I first heard about PNR on Twitter in 2021, and Denis personally invited me in 2022, but it wasn’t until Feb 2023 that I was able to join my first run. I live near Central Park so it’s hard to pass up the convenience and views, but once I realized how special this group is, I started making the trek to Chelsea most Fridays. 

Tell us about your NYC ties/life/connections.

I live on the UWS with my husband and 2 kids. I’ve lived here since 2013, when we moved from LA for my husband’s medical residency and to be near his family. I fell in love with city-living when I studied abroad in Barcelona in college–the serendipity, neighborhoods, culture–so moving to NYC was a dream. I feel so much gratitude for my various NYC communities, including this one! 

What are some favorite memories from Pitch and Run or favorite things you’ve gained from PnR?

So many! PNR is a very special community and really has everything you could want: physical activity, belonging, authenticity, and positivity, all while you’re making stellar professional connections.

Here are a few of my favorites:

• Shortly after joining PNR , I was welcomed into the 2023 NYC Half Marathon chat and felt like I instantly had new friends 

• Learning a ton about AI during runs with various founders in Spring 2023, which I brought back to my community of business lawyers

• Running my first NY Marathon with my PNR name badge (thanks, Karen!). It felt so celebratory to carbo-load together and and see some of the team in the starting village 

• Making a hand-drawn PNR sign for the NYC Tech Week crowds

• Sid’s Gym party with ping pong and the fun treadmills

• …and so much more

What do you do for work? Tell us about your company/role?

I am a partner at a boutique employment and labor law firm, Greenwald Doherty LLP, where we untangle workplace legal issues for companies. Employment law problems can be distracting, reputation-killers, and costly for businesses.  

In addition to traditional hourly billing, we also offer a unique subscription model where we partner closely with clients and serve as an extension of their team, off the billable hour. 

It’s very rewarding to develop these close-knit relationships. 

Drawing on observations from this work, I’ve also launched two virtual communities in the past year: “GC x AI” is where in-house lawyers learn about the opportunities and risks of AI, and “In-House Lean Legal Collective” is where members of lean in-house legal teams come together to share resources. 

Have you always been involved with startups as a lawyer?

Yes, although I work with companies in all industries. We’re usually brought in once the team has grown big enough to have employee problems (although sometimes tiny companies need us too). 

We have a very broad network of other boutique lawyers and service professionals, so when founders need support, I’m always happy to hop on a call to learn more about the need and share referrals. 

What do you like to do outside work and running?

Hang out at museums and in Central Park with my family, explore NYC neighborhoods, bread-baking, see shows, and travel to CA to see family. 

I should add that running is relatively new for me.  Although I’d done short jogs over the years, I became a regular runner in the pandemic out of necessity, because the pools were closed (I’m a lifelong swimmer). My husband started running about 6-7 years ago and he got me into racing.  We both ran our first marathon, NYC, in November 2023. Having running partners and PNR friends to keep me company made it much easier to put in all the training miles.

How’s your injury recovery going? Are you training for any races?

About a month after the NYC marathon, I strained my calf, so it took a while to recover but I am doing much better and back running–thanks for asking!  

I’m planning to run the NYC Runs BK Half on April 28, although my recovery has been slow, so I’ll take it easy. 

What’s on deck for you this year?

Business-wise, I set some big revenue goals for and am working to execute on them.

Fun-wise, I hope to see many more great shows and visit some new places with our kids. 

Running-wise: This year, I set my running goals to be “fitness” and “novelty.” I would like to try to run the perimeter of Manhattan this year or early next at a very slow, fun pace. 

And when the call came to sign up for a PNR Citizens bib for the NYC 2024 marathon, I decided to throw my name in.  So, maybe I’ll be back for Round 2! 

News On the Pitch Front

🚀 Product News

💫 Viviana Luxury launches at Whole Foods! Don’t forget to grab one or more for yourself HERE 🕯️

💫 Private beta program for a longevity blood test in NYC - The panel is prescribed by a licensed physician, performed by a certified phlebotomist at your home & analyzed by a professional diagnostics lab in NYC. Use code "PITCHANDRUN" to run it at at cost if you are interested!

🗞️ OTHER NEWS

Congrats to Yakov on engagement! 💍

🚨PnR took SXSW by storm. Zeke hit the ground running with PnR ATX and had 2 special features on linkedin here and here.

🚨London Marathon coming up Apr 21 runners include:

• Kevin Weatherman - raising money for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People

• Niko Krupyshev - raising money for Nerve Tumors UK

• Wilson Kriegel - raising money for NSPCC for kids

🚨 Sid’s gym PnR exclusive code PITCHIT for your first class! Join us every Wednesday morning 9am 🌝 Ethan also pitched PnR to all of NYC on insta check it out

🚨NYC Marathon drawing is closed! Stay tuned for more updates!

🚨Order your Pitch and Run gear

EVENTS

[APR 4 LV] Pitch and Run MAU Las Vegas

[APR 7 NYC] Snark Tank NYC @ Saint Mark’s Comedy Club

[APR 8 NYC] SVB World of Wealth Tech NYC

[APR 9 MIA] Pitch & Run @ Lumos House Miami Tech Week🌴

[APR 9 NYC] SPANVentures Breaking Barriers in VC

🍎 NYC Racers

[APR 14] Jersey City Half

[APR 28] NYCRuns BK Half

[MAY 18] NYRR BK Half

🍰 BIRTHDAYS

[APR 4] Jack O

[APR 4] Devon T

[APR 10] Jacqueline B

[APR 11] Ajay R

[APR 12] Adam S

[APR 14] Charlie K

[APR 20] Christopher CF

[APR 22] NIHAL

[APR 23] Logan

[APR 30] Brendan

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