CharterUP Welcomes Company President Howard Bornstein
CharterUP, the leading tech platform for enterprise-level people transportation, announced today that Howard Bornstein officially joined the team as the company’s President. Bornstein was appointed by Armir Harris, founder and CEO of CharterUP.
Bornstein is a venture investor and tech founder by background who spent half a decade at Bain Capital Ventures and Bain Capital Private Equity after beginning his career at McKinsey & Company and then the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He earned his MBA at Stanford Graduate School of Business. His prior investment experience includes working with SoFi, HomeLight and FlyWire.
Most recently Bornstein was the Principal of Innospark Ventures, a fund that invests in entrepreneurs who leverage AI in their companies.
What Howard Brings to CharterUP
“[CharterUP] is really onto something,” Bornstein said of the current state of the company. “There’s a massive opportunity to help companies figure out transportation for their employees in a much better way. The integrated software for operators, drivers, and customers is a very robust platform.”
With his extensive experience in supporting entrepreneurs through periods of rapid growth, Bornstein has collaborated with Harris on company strategy since they first met in 2019. In 2021, the timing was finally right to bring Bornstein on as a full-time team member.
When asked what convinced him to appoint Bornstein to this position, Harris pointed to Bornstein’s calm demeanor and people-focused approach to leading: “I’m really impressed with Howard’s ability to encourage the strengths of different personality types and inspire teams to achieve their goals in such a positive and personable way. Howard has an incredible combination of soft skills and strategic ability.”
Bornstein Sees Huge Growth Potential in CharterUP
As company President, and as the first person to hold that role at CharterUP, Bornstein looks forward to the company’s growth and development in new and exciting ways. “I love building things and I love helping people—that’s really what drives me,” said Bornstein when asked about his favorite part of joining a new company. And as Deloitte’s 8th fastest-growing company in North America for 2020, CharterUP is no stranger to growth. “The natural state of a rapidly-growing company is that there’s always lots of stuff you can do better… Those situations where there’s a huge opportunity to do things better over time really get me excited.”
But what helped Bornstein identify the “spark” that set CharterUP apart?
Bornstein evaluates companies with a personal rubric he calls “the Rule of Thirty.” “If there’s an industry or process that hasn’t really been improved upon in thirty years, there’s a good chance technology is going to bring a lot of growth to that market.” Until CharterUP was launched, the charter bus industry has largely remained out of the “technology” sphere, unlike consumer-focused transportation companies like Uber or Lyft. When you look at the market, there is no other fully-integrated platform that can handle the complex needs of enterprise personnel transportation nation-wide. CharterUp is the only way to reliably execute on the most complex of needs.
Secondly, Bornstein notes the strength of CharterUP’s current team, now standing at over 70 employees. “I look for teams that work well together and have the industry expertise needed to be successful. And CharterUP checks the box in a really big way.”
Bornstein went on to say that these factors set CharterUP to continue growing rapidly in the coming months and years: “There’s always going to be more to do, but right now it’s really working. The plan is simple, we want to capitalize on this, grow as fast as we can, and take things to the next level.”
When he’s not working, Bornstein is often tinkering with audio equipment, exploring local coffee shops, and practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
About CharterUP
CharterUP is the leading technology company for enterprise-level group transportation—a charter bus reservation service that connects passengers to motorcoach providers throughout the country through an intuitive online platform. To learn more about how you can book your own sprinter van, minibus, or charter bus rental, visit CharterUP.com. Visit our Careers page for information on the 30+ roles we’re adding to our growing team.
Media Contact
Brian DeLoach, CharterUP, +1 6783715220, brian@charterup.com
