Class 2 - From Idea to Product

Instructor: Eric Silberstein - CTO, Founder & Chairman

Eric Silberstein founded Idiom in 1998. Today, he is the company's visionary, focusing on globalization practices and product direction. Eric takes personal responsibility for customer relations and maintaining a company culture that is committed to customer success and team enrichment.

While completing his Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science at Harvard University, Eric served on the founding team of Chipshot.com as vice president of technology. During summer positions at Microsoft, first in the Redmond office and then in their Beijing office, he worked on the localization of Microsoft Word. Eric has founded and directed several volunteer youth programs, travels extensively in Europe and Asia, and speaks Chinese and Russian.

Speaker: Mark Gelfand, Entrepreneur

Mark Gelfand grew up near Cleveland, Ohio. He attended Carnegie-Mellon University, earning a BS in Physics in 1973. After graduation, he worked at the National Bureau of Economic Research as a computer programmer for the Troll econometric modeling system. In 1979, he co-founded Integrated Planning, Inc., which produced software that combined econometrics and marketing analysis. He co-founded Intex Solutions, Inc., in 1985, which has become a leading supplier of analytical solutions for the structured finance markets.

His personal and philanthropic interests promote connecting students with science, engineering, and electronics. His three sons are in or have graduated college.