We sat down for a coffee with SVP Shruti Sehgal, who leads BerlinRosen’s work with investors and founders of growth-stage brands. As we head into the new year, we look back at the success the team enjoyed in 2023 and chat about Shruti’s impressive career trajectory at BR.
How do you like your coffee?
Decadent. I make myself a latte every single morning.
You celebrated your tenth anniversary at BerlinRosen this month. Congrats! What’s kept you here for so long?
Thank you! I was hired to support the New York City Politics and Public Affairs team when I was 24 years old. Since then, I’ve built three additional practices at the firm—Consumer Tech, the Future of Work and Education and, now, I lead our investor-driven work. It feels like I’ve had four different careers here in the span of a decade, each uniquely dynamic and rewarding.
I’ve also always felt like I was being primed for something bigger. That feeling has never gone away, and I try to model it for others at the firm.
Tell me about your work representing investors and founders of growth-stage brands.
We provide bespoke strategic services to investors looking to capitalize and accelerate the next generation of world-class businesses and the visionary founders who started them.
This is the first time in my career that I am building a practice around a type of client instead of an issue area or sector. My job is to figure out what makes a particular investor or founder tick, and what role I can play to help them grow their investment or business and deliver meaningful returns. Sometimes, that’s helping an investor attract new LPs or deal opportunities; other times, it’s helping a founder plan a product launch or break through with a larger, more multicultural audience. We are lucky to represent investors and founders at the top of their fields in Hollywood, sports, beauty, fashion, finance and beyond. That makes the work enriching in its own way.
Why should more investors and growth-stage brands work with BerlinRosen?
Historically, investors have been conservative about their deal-making activities. But the ecosystem is no longer one-size-fits-all, and key players are getting more sophisticated in their understanding of how strategic communications can strengthen their talent teams and investments in an ever-changing economic environment.
As a private equity-backed holding company ourselves, we also intuitively understand the unique inflection points that impact their decision-making processes. We bring novel strategies, persuasive messaging and a sector-agnostic approach to help investors move as quickly and nimbly these days as the market does.
With founders, specifically, I like to position BerlinRosen as an extension of their investors’ deal-making services. On top of capital and mentorship, we’re now this high-value partner that their investor is offering to them for real-time problem solving. Because founders have to constantly negotiate between being results-oriented and cost-efficient, this is real value creation and allows founders to operate from an ‘abundance mindset,’ which is key for long term business success. Of course, we’re also able to bring in talent from across the holding company—a huge plus for our clients.
What are some of the most exciting deal opportunities you worked on last year?
Patricof Co struck a very unusual deal opportunity for major athletes to invest in Midwestern American farmland—a meaningful but not particularly well-known asset class, and an exciting addition to their portfolio. That was a lot of fun for my team to work on.
As an entertainment venture company, Westbrook has been singular in its ability to develop and nurture TikTok talent as well as the Hollywood approach their team has taken to create and invest in platform-agnostic premium content that resonates with people worldwide. I’m inspired by the range of work they put out.
Finally, we helped Greenwood launch their own investing platform to help Black and Latino Americans invest in the stock market and drive their own wealth creation. Our work with Greenwood originally began with announcing a major investment in their own company—so that was a full circle moment for us.
What’s your proudest accomplishment at BerlinRosen?
The staff–including interns–I hired almost a decade ago are now VPs and my peers. I’m proud to have cultivated talent at BR in the same way I’ve felt supported throughout my career here.
Fast facts
What do you do outside of work?
I am a pretty intense yogi! I teach and practice in the Bhakti tradition, which is part of my South Asian heritage. I’ve taught in yoga studios across New York, LA, and now Seattle. During the pandemic, I launched an online BerlinRosen yoga program. I would do a pre-work-day class and end-of-day work-day class two times a week. It was a very special program to me and a way for our colleagues to destress and stay connected when we couldn’t be together in person.
I also have a darling baby son named Arjun. He is the love of my life! I do lots of silly stuff with him.
Which coast is the best coast?
Man, I am a true New Yorker at heart, but the West coast is the best coast. I think of myself as a New Yorker ‘on loan’ to the West Coast. East Coast for the hustle, but West Coast for the vibes, you know?
Last TV show you binge-watched
Billions. I’m so sad it’s over, but what a treat it was to see my client Greenwood make a cameo in the final plot-twisting season!
Restaurant you’d recommend to close friends
Eden Hill in Queen Anne. It’s a true neighborhood gem. Chef Max Petty and his team make you feel like you are the only person dining with them.
What are you reading these days?
“Tom Lake” by Ann Patchett.
Movie you’d pay to see again and again
Dirty Dancing. Anytime, anywhere!