Running Through Walls

Steve Papa, founder and CEO of Endeca through its acquisition by Oracle in 2011, has thrived in many roles throughout his career: neighborhood Mr. Fix-it, entrepreneur, founder, CEO, mentor and angel investor. In this week’s podcast, Venrock’s Bryan Roberts talks to Papa — now founder and CEO of Parallel Wireless — about his early aspirations and founding Endeca during the rapid expansion of the Internet in 1999. The company survived through two major economic downturns and went through a smooth acquisition under Papa’s direction. He shares how he managed the team during these events, what he learned about perseverance and grit, and how he advises companies facing similar obstacles today.