PNR Monthly - July

kick off in BK and London 🇬🇧

Kevin Weatherman, Kat O’Brien & Dorothy Chau
August 06, 2024

PNR Monthly - July 🥵

Q&A with Boris Berenberg

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

Ran 😉 across it on Twitter. Came out for a couple of runs and was really impressed by the caliber of people there. Felt like I wasn’t the smartest guy in the room which was a great sign. Kept coming back.

What’s your NYC story? Tell us about your NYC ties/life/connections.

I bluffed on an interview to try and get rejected by requesting a silly comp package and 100% remote work from NYC. In a total surprise, the company gave me the money and let me go 100% remote so I came to NYC and have been here ever since.

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

Doing the NYC Marathon with a bunch of PnR friends. The tension was building on the way to the start line, and everyone was hyping one another up. Then we all got to catch up at the end at the party that Karen organized. Not sure if I ever would have run the marathon without PnR.

What’s something people might not expect to get from PNR?

How welcoming extremely successful people in the group are. They’re not going to throw money at you or anything dumb, but you can get insight, advice, introductions, and all kinds of other help from extremely high caliber individuals.

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

I am the VP of Product for Modus Create, the company that acquired my last company. Modus is primarily a consulting company, but everything we build as a SaaS product is my responsibility.

You’ve gone back to working in a bigger company after founding and leading one. What was that transition like and do you have any advice for others going through similar?

Not so much gone back as still working for the acquirer. They treat me really well and even though I regret selling, I am always grateful I ended up with great people who I like working with. I think it’s important to figure out how to balance your bias for action with the political and scale realities of a much larger organization. Then find a way to work with the organization to make sure that your skills are a positive addition rather than a distraction.
I also work on side projects to feed my entrepreneurial instinct. Recently one I am enjoying is LFC.DEV which is an event series for second+ time founders to connect in small, participatory events to find potential co-founders.

What’s something that might surprise people about you?

I cry when watching almost any movie or TV show that has anything remotely resembling a sentimental scene.

Are you training for any races?

Right now I am focused on injury recovery and hopefully will be able to do some races in 2025.

Any favorite things about NYC, from neighborhoods to restaurants to buildings to vibes? Can be under-the-radar, well-known or anywhere in between.

I love the flywheel of the cinematic feeling. When I walk down the street and I look up an avenue and I see the Chrysler building standing there I feel like I am in a movie. And because it feels like that, they make more movies here. So then the feeling gets stronger, and I love that.

What’s on deck for you in the rest of 2024? Congrats on your recent engagement BTW!

Recovering my knee and hand injuries. Planning for our wedding. Launching more random projects. Finding a cofounder for the next thing.

July highlights: Nihal meets Kamala, Austin & SF vying for cutest pacers, PnR saves the beaches of NYC

🚀 Product Updates

💫 Boris is building https://lfc.dev/ to help cofounders find one another at small participatory events. Event coming in September!

💫 PNR Ventures is leading and taking a board seat in its newest investment. This stealth company is at the forefront of construction-tech, combining proprietary robotics and AI software to serve as a holistic system for developments. They have a current pipeline of over $24 million in residential and commercial contracts for the next 18 months, and just signed terms for a $5M —>$20M debt facility.

Over 2/3 of our allocation of the $6M total (rest of the round committed) has been filled to invest alongside SOSV, NJEDA, Gaingels, and others. Reach out to Spencer if you’re interested before closing!

July highlights: Chicago Tech Week, LA, Pitch & Trail

🏃‍♀️ RUNNING NEWS

PnR LAUNCHES in LONDON with 100+ subscribers out the gate! Ivor Stratford and Amar Parmar as chapter lead
9 runners are doing NYC Marathon with PNR! If you’re running NYC this year, join here
🏃‍♀️ Elena is running Valencia Marathon in Dec! She’s raising $2k in support of American Cancer Society. Any contribution is appreciated

🗞️ MORE NOTEWORTHY

Congratulations Avantika on Forbes 50/50 (2024 Investments)! Avantika is commited to change the depressing ratio of companies that IPO with lack diversity in such wealth creation opportunities and a key member of PitchnRun. ❤️‍🔥
Stay tuned to Mobile Events of 2024 by @Eve Herrera
Vinay journeyed around Manhattan in 14 hours!
Om has extended PnR members a special welcome to a SaveWay tiny.cc/Summer24fo24 offer, with early access to our web app via https://tiny.cc/SaveAwayNOW
Sid’s gym PnR exclusive code PITCHIT for your first class! Join us every Wednesday morning 9am 🌝
Order your Pitch and Run gear