Join the Innovation Club in welcoming Victorio Pellicano to NIU! Hear about his journey to success as an entrepreneur, followed by time for Q&A.

Victorio Pellicano is a software entrepreneur and founder of Verenia, a software company that Oracle purchased NetSuite CPQ from. Verenia experienced 500% growth over the last few years thanks to one strict leadership quality: people come first, always. And that point of view starts with Vic. He's been down on his luck.

After losing both parents at an early age, making sure his team feels supported and loved is critical to Verenia's growth. Company-wide, if someone needs to take a breather or has an issue, it's ok to talk about it. Compassion is at the heart of Verenia, which is composed of individuals, but those folks in many cases are parents. Parents with busy schedules, doctors' appointments, or just bad days. They're also sons and daughters of parents getting older – and sometimes, people need a few days off. People struggle. It's a part of the human experience.

Coming from a working-class home just outside of Chicago, Vic's parents raised him to work hard but understand life lessons for what they are. That was one of the lasting impressions his father left him, and that message has rung true ever since. Life humbles us in ways we can't comprehend. After trying to maintain his father's home after his death, Vic went into debt, which resulted in him leaving law school. And then things got worse: his car was repossessed, equating in jail time for being unable to pay the debt. He ended up living in a friend's van. 

The come up is an inspirational story: Vic found a job in manufacturing. That job changed everything. Showing interest and aptitude in the business, but also the tech driving change, he thrived. A few years later, he saw a need for sales software built specifically for manufacturers. He founded Verenia. And while it's easy to say the rest is history, the common theme never changes: without hard life lessons, along with building a team of people who love and trust one another, anything really is possible.

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The Entrepreneurial Journeys series is brought to you by the Innovation Club, 71 North, and De La Vega Innovation Lab.