PointCast, Inc.

That word - "grit" - aptly evokes life inside PointCast today. Gerould, Bisharat, and Zornosa still speak with unabashed awe about what they hope to achieve with their company. But the dream has given way to determination. There is a brand to build. There is the IPO to pursue. There is more tenacity to be summoned - to keep the company growing and to meet investor demands after the IPO.

Cofounder Greg Hassett, who stayed on after his brother went into exile, feels Chris's absence: "Chris is gone. Sometimes I envy him. He has time to fly higher. He's free from day-to-day responsibilities. He's on to two or three other new thoughts."

And the founder who stayed behind? "There's just too much to do to get emotionally attached," Greg says. "We've got to keep our eye on the ball. Personally, I've experienced great growth. I've learned management skills. I've learned self-confidence. I believe there's not a lot I can't do."

Which sounds a lot like Jaleh Bisharat's attitude. She still loves PointCast. But her love seems more dutiful than romantic. "We absolutely have to define our targets," she declares. "We have to deliver unobtrusive products, and we have to build our brand into something durable. PointCast has defined Internet broadcasting. But we need to be humble about what's left to do. The appeal of staying independent is that this is ours to lose. I want to be around to see how it all comes together."

Pat Dillon pdwolf@aol.com wrote the cover story "Money Changes Everything" for the June:July 1997 issue of Fast Company. His new book, "Lost at Sea: An American Tragedy," is a nonfiction account of the nation's worst modern fishing disaster. it will be published early this summer by The Dial Press.