Well, he’s actually gone. With last night’s “Irish Goodbye” farewell party at Bull McCabe’s Irish Pub, our Founding Editor, GrepBeat Pete, was laid to rest (or at least that moniker was).
For those who may not have heard, Pete McEntegart has made the decision to leave GrepBeat after ~six years (almost to the day) stewarding the newsletter and Triangle startup content you’ve all read so much of. He is shedding the GrepBeat Pete label in favor of “Pete Smack”—a stage name (and former college nickname) that he’ll wield as he steps into full-time stand-up comedy (more on that below).
The farewell event was a festive happy hour during which many from the Triangle startup ecosystem (and surely many of you who are reading this) got the chance to thank Pete for all he’s done over the years, and hear a bit about what’s next. Pete even brought homemade, deconstructed cookies for everyone to enjoy—free, with an investment in Pete Smack comedy (again, more on that later).
We spent the first hour or so mingling with accompanying, live music courtesy of MyMatR CEO John Starke and the group Piobadh na Triantan (which means “Piping in the Triangle”). Needless to say, this added a fittingly Irish flavor to the proceedings.
After a while, the GrepBeat Godfather offered some heartfelt words of thanks for all Pete’s done to make GrepBeat what it is today. Then Pete himself delivered his own farewell and talked about his exciting next chapter as Chief Entertainment Officer at Pete Smack Comedy Relief LLC.
In case you haven’t heard, or weren’t at the event, you have a chance to be involved in that chapter—and not just by going to Pete’s shows around the Triangle in the months and years to come (though you should definitely do that, too).
Building on his experience in the startup community, Pete is offering the (unprecedented?) opportunity for you to invest in his comedy journey! The Pete Smack WeFunder page goes live this morning. Give it a visit to read about how you can make money while Pete tells jokes, and consider supporting your longtime editor’s exciting new journey.
With that, we’ll wrap it up. Thanks again to Bull McCabe’s for hosting and for Piobadh na Triantan for the music. And a final cheers to GrepBeat Pete.
Pete Smack—we’ll see you on stage.
