Startup Weekly 05/02/11 - Interview with Pete Grillo of Iterasi

We sit with Pete and receive a typical over-dose of entrepreneurial enthusiasm.  But we can tell this guy is different/special.  Pete is an icon in Portland, Oregon and far beyond.  He is respected by startup founders, followed by investors and admired by the business community.    A serial entrepreneur, Pete has the usual scars of battle, but he has been on the winning side often.  Leading the last big cash-out in the Portland area -- Wesync.com in 2000 -- he is one of those "national treasures" every startup community needs to keep the environment vibrant.  To him, it's all about the journey.

The journey really has been the reward in Pete's life.  After Wesync, he tried to take some time off but realized he was a lot happier creating and building.  And so was born Iterasi, a web archiving company.  He had no trouble getting investors who had done well with his previous companies, and plunged back into uncharted waters.

His advice to fellow founders about the journey:

First, startups don't follow the path originally envisioned.  We all think we're pretty smart and have great plans, but the world has a way of changing suddenly and violently (Read: the economic plunge of 2008).  Go with it, change course.  Don't fret if you panic because we ALL panic!

Second: Pick great investor/partners.  Not only can they be your best advisors, they'll follow you to the next venture and the next.

Third: Reach out to other entrepreneurs for guidance as well.  Not only will you receive sage advice, you'll have a sympathetic ear.

From Iterasi's web site: Iterasi's web archiving application can capture more content from more online sources, bringing a safe, protected, and compliant web presence well within your reach.  It's what you expect from an industry leader.

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