Class 2 - From Idea to Product

Instructor: Eric Silberstein is CEO of Epernicus

Eric Silberstein is CEO of Epernicus, a professional networking site for scientists started in 2007. Prior to Epernicus, Eric was at Idiom Technologies (acquired by SDL), whose technology is used by global companies to maintain multilingual web sites and products. Eric founded Idiom in 1998 after graduating from Harvard with a degree in computer science. Eric has teaching experience from a volunteer youth program he started in college, and also speaks Chinese.


Speaker: Joffery Smith

Joff Smith became the youngest person ever elected to the Worcester City Council in November of 2005, as a representative of District 1. He just won re-election this past November to a 2nd two-year term. He has also been elected as a state delegate to the MA Democratic State Convention from 2006-2008. Joff was also recently appointed by Governor Patrick to serve on the Board of Trustees of the State Library. In addition to his duties as a City Councilor Joff also thrives as a successful Financial Services Professional with the Boston General Office of New York Life. In early 2006 he helped open a Worcester office for New York Life where he runs his own business, and continues to build his expanding client base. Joff has been recognized for his drive and ambition by the Worcester Business Journal, who named him to their prestigious 40 under Forty list in 2006, and by The Pulse Magazine, who named him one of their 25 to Watch in 2005. 

Mr. Smith is an active participant in charitable endeavors as well. In 2006 and 2007 Joff organized the Joff Smith Celebrity Auction charity event which raised over $50,000 for Worcester area charities. An avid boxer, Joff participated in the “Give Kids a Fighting Chance” charity boxing event to benefit the Worcester Boys & Girls Clubs in 2005 and 2006. Mr. Smith is a member of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Worcester Young Businessmen’s Association, the Worcester Economics Club, and is a Reserve Deputy Sheriff for Worcester County. A Magna Cum Laude graduate of the University of Hartford with a B.S. in Business Administration, majoring in Economics and Finance, Joff also played Division 1 baseball there, and had several major league tryouts.