Oren Friedman

You absolutely need to hear the story of Oren Friedman, this guy’s the real deal in the startup world. He’s the kind of founder who’s been grinding since day one, and now he’s running Rally, a sick user research platform that just got some serious backing from YC and other big names.

So, Oren’s from Nashville, went to Vanderbilt, did his thing in Human & Organizational Development. Basically, he’s always been into understanding people, how they tick, what makes things work. That’s the foundation of his hustle. He jumped into startups early, co-founding UniverCity Deals back in 2012, so he’s been in the trenches for over a decade. Not one of those guys who just talks, he’s been building shit since he was in college.

Then, he dipped his toes into venture capital at Compound in 2013, and worked at PayPal in 2014 in a strategy role. That’s where he learned the enterprise game, how big companies operate, how deals get done, all that hustle. From there, he moved into AlphaSights from 2015 to 2018, climbing the ranks from Associate to Account Manager. That’s where he really honed his sales skills, working with big enterprise clients, understanding what they need, how to sell solutions.

In 2018, he jumped into Remesh as a Team Lead for Enterprise Sales, showing he’s got that leadership juice and knows how to scale a product with big clients. He’s not just about the startup grind, he’s also plugged into the enterprise world, giving him a killer perspective that most founders miss.

Then, in W22, he co-founded Rally during YC, a platform that automates user research for teams, making it way easier to find, schedule, and run research without the bullshit. It’s super targeted but solves a real pain for research teams, especially in startups and big companies trying to stay ahead of the game. Rally’s got good funding from YC, Canapi Ventures, and Stage 2 Capital, and it’s based in NYC. Small team but crushing it.

What does his story say about him? Man, Oren’s all about solving problems, using his deep understanding of people and enterprise to build tools that actually matter. He’s not just chasing the startup hype; he’s been through the grind, learned what works, and now he’s creating something that helps others do the same. His process from college to VC to enterprise to launching Rally shows he’s relentless, super smart, and knows how to connect the dots.

No Cap, this guy’s the real deal. He’s someone who’s been in the trenches, understands the pain points, and is building solutions that actually make a difference. If you’re into startups, tech, or just cool founders who crush it, Oren’s a name to watch.