GRAY VENTURES III - Key Persons
Alex joined Gray Ventures in 2020 after working in software and practicing law for several years. Alex assists with all aspects of the investment process, including sourcing, evaluating, conducting due diligence on, and negotiating with companies that fit Gray Ventures' investment criteria. He also monitors and advises companies within Gray Ventures' portfolio.
Alex began his career at MicroStrategy, an enterprise software company offering business intelligence and mobility solutions. He worked in the commercial licensing department, drafting and negotiating software license agreements based on input from the engineering, sales, legal, and accounting teams. Alex also finalized deals with MicroStrategy's then-subsidiary, Angel.com, a telecommunications company which provided SaaS and VoIP offerings to small and midsize businesses. For his performance in supporting MicroStrategy's OEM team and his role in creating a training program for junior employees, Alex was awarded "Employee of the Quarter" in April 2013.
Alex left MicroStrategy to attend law school at the University of Virginia in 2013. As a law student, he graded onto the Virginia Law Review, for which he served as an editor. Alex also served as a development editor on the Journal of Law & Politics and worked with the Innocence Project, litigating habeas petitions on behalf of wrongfully imprisoned clients, including Darnell Phillips, who spent 28 years serving a 100-year sentence before being released on parole in 2018. Alex spent his first summer in law school with the Navy JAG Corps at Naval Station Norfolk. After graduating, Alex clerked for two federal judges -the Honorable Thomas D. Schroeder of the Middle District of North Carolina and the Honorable Frank M. Hull of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals-before joining King & Spalding, an international corporate law firm headquartered in Atlanta. Alex represented several Fortune 100 companies in high-stakes disputes, most often related to significant corporate transactions. Alex also worked with the firm's transactional practice group, aiding in the negotiation of various corporate agreements meant to resolve post-closing disputes.
Alex serves on the board of the Council for Entrepreneurial Development, a nonprofit founded in 1984 by a group of business leaders with the goal of supporting the growth of entrepreneurial companies in North Carolina. Alex also serves on the steering committee for Angel Lounge, an educational community of angel investors in Atlanta. He is an active volunteer in his Inman Park neighborhood, including at area homeless shelters.
Alex grew up in Atlanta, attending The Westminster Schools, where he served as Senior Class President and was also his class's graduation speaker. He then matriculated at the University of Virginia, where his thesis was published. Alex graduated in 2010, and then attended the McIntire Business Institute, from which he graduated with high honors.
In his free time, Alex enjoys fishing, competing in triathlons, camping, and spending time with family.
Berny was born in Winston-Salem, grew up in Washington, D.C., and attended boarding school in Concord, N.H., at St. Paul's School. After graduating from the University of North Carolina and completing his military obligation as a U.S. Marine in Vietnam, he went to New York, worked briefly at Morgan Guaranty, and completed his MBA at Columbia University.
Berny returned to Winston-Salem and spent 15 years with Summit Communications Group, a holding company for radio broadcasting, cable television, and other communications properties. He retired as Executive Vice President and Vice Chairman. The company was sold to Time Warner.
Berny established Gray Ventures in 1991. He concurrently served on the boards of the Council for Entrepreneurial Development in Research Triangle Park, Southern Capital Forum in Atlanta, and the Lang Entrepreneurial Center and Fund in NYC. He cofounded the Southeast Investor Group.
Berny has also engaged in pro bono work as a board member and volunteer during his career. His service includes supporting St. Paul's School, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Columbia Business School, Emory University, Wake Forest University, and Trinity School in Atlanta; The North Carolina Dance Theatre, Old Salem, and the Southeastern Center of Contemporary Art; and Winship Cancer Institute and Skyland Trail, a nationally recognized nonprofit mental health treatment center, both in Atlanta.