JASON TESHUBA:
Founder and CEO of Mango Languages in Farmington Hills. Teshuba was frustrated by deficiencies of many language-learning systems so he founded the e-commerce language company to rethink the way people learn languages. He has transformed it into an international operation by providing online language learning services to libraries, government agencies, corporations, and the general public worldwide. Today, Mango’s language software is in one in five U.S. libraries, from New York to Seattle. Designed by a team of linguists, teachers, software developers, human interface specialists, writers, voice talents, and designers, the company’s award-winning learning system is acclaimed by prominent national and international reference information groups, educational resources, Web organizations, and travel guides. The New York Public Library named Mango Languages to its “The Best of Reference” list, a compilation of 25 books, Web sites, and electronic resources singled out for usefulness and value to library collections. The company took second place in the education category of the 2008 Web 2.0 Awards. Mango Languages has also been cited by
Corp! Magazine in its annual “Best of Michigan Business” recognition. Annual sales more than doubled from 2008 to 2009, and when a competitor discontinued free online service to public libraries in 2008, Mango Languages took over the niche. Earlier, Teshuba was a vehicle simulation software engineer for EDS. Software he developed to run on GM and DaimlerChrysler vehicle simulators saved millions of dollars annually. Currently learning Mandarin Chinese, Teshuba is conversationally fluent in Hebrew, Italian, and Brazilian Portuguese. He received a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from Michigan State University and is completing a master’s in language learning at Wayne State University.
