Lee Edwards, a partner at early-stage venture firm Root Ventures, tweeted Thursday "The 3 B's of venture deals: Barry's, The Battery, and Burning Man."
The mockery was swift, but according to the replies to Edwards' tweet, there was a grain of truth to the first B, which refers to Barry's Bootcamp.
The intense bootcamp-style fitness program was started in Los Angeles in 1998 by fitness trainer Barry Jay, according to the studio's website, because Jay wanted an all-in-one workout that included cardio and weight lifting. Now, Barry's is available in 17 cities across 10 states plus Washington, D.C. The studio also has 10 international locations from Dubai to Stockholm to Melbourne, and has commanded a global following as one of the toughest workouts around.
Barry's studios are also known for the exorbitant cost of classes and branded camouflage gear, its club-like atmosphere, and instructors whose foul-mouthed commands would make a Marine blush.
On its face, Barry's Bootcamp is the Patagonia vest of workouts: it doesn't make a ton of sense to those deemed "outsiders," but for those in the know it's a symbol of rugged toughness and status.
Scroll through Instagram's various Barry's geotags and hashtags and you'll notice that in addition to the expected "fit-fluencer" posts, the page is dotted with tech founders and their teams and other Bay Area notables.
"Data has shown that Founders that opt for double floor tend to focus on short term exits vs. longer term growth, and investors come to take notice" one startup exec joked to Business Insider, referring to the famous "double floor" strength routine at Barry's.
"Furthermore, investors go there looking for signal in the noise of treadmill speed. Early indications show that there is an inverse relationship between treadmill speed and company cash runway," the exec said.
Members of the cult of Barry like to be uncomfortable and to reward themselves with niceties not available at an ordinary CrossFit gym. After a 50-minute burst of activity, many bootcampers report to the "Fuel Bar" for one of the famous $10 protein shakes.
"Exercising at Barry's is very SF - it's super intense and you have a love / hate relationship with it since it's exhausting, but it brings you to a better state and energizes you," said Masha Drokova, founder and general partner at Day One Ventures.
Drokova however prefers something more calm to establish a rapport with founders she works with.
"I haven't taken any meetings at Barry's but I've on occasion brought founders I work with to do yoga with me at Love Story Yoga," she told Business Insider. "It's so fantastic for the body and to clear your mind, and this shared experience brings you closer together since you see each other in vulnerable sweaty environment."
One famous Barry's disciple is Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, who was spotted working out at San Francisco Barry's the morning before an Aprile court appearance.
Multiple sources suggested to Business Insider that Keith Rabois, an early PayPal executive who is now a general partner at VC firm Founders Fund, was the inspiration for Edwards' tweet about Barry's importance in the venture scene. When reached for comment, Rabois responded to Business Insider that "this is a quite ludicrous idea for a post," though he declined to comment on Barry's.
I had to see just how ludicrous Barry's was for myself. So I suited up with San Francisco's finest for Barry's signature Full Body workout, and left with less funding and self-doubt than I started with. Here's what it was like: