In 2006, childhood friends Michael Portman and Jayson Rapaport found themselves living in Austin, TX with nowhere to get an affordable, high-quality cut. Together, they created a salon for men and women, took out all the fuss, and added free Shiner to the experience. An addiction to old school arcade games developed. Today, Birds Barbershop employs more than 100 people across five Austin locations. In 2012 Michael and Jayson co-founded Verb, an affordable high-quality professional hair product line made to fit Birds' affordable, high-quality cuts and color services.