30 in Their Thirties: Jason Teshuba // 38

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CEO, Mango Languages, Farmington Hills

Employees: 60 Revenue: $9 million Education: Michigan State University

Before Jason and Michael Teshuba launched a Web development firm in 2002, they had a strong background in business. Their father owned a heating and cooling company, and Jason recalls helping out wherever he could. “Two years after we started the Web development company, we began distributing language education products,” says Teshuba, CEO of Mango Languages. “We sold the business in 2007 and started Mango Languages. We already had a great background in language education, and then new technologies like the iPhone, the iPad, and Flash were coming into the marketplace.” With a background in computer science and computer engineering, the Teshubas tried to interest investors in the company’s product offerings, but the pitches fell on deaf ears. So they invested in the digital business and began offering a variety of subscription-based language classes and programs to individuals, libraries, schools, government, and corporations. Offering 12 languages at first, the portfolio now has more than 65 listings, including Greek, Hebrew, Portuguese, Japanese, Dutch, and French. Last year, the pair launched Mango Premiere, a language-learning service using foreign films. “Our main market is serving public libraries, which purchase a year-long subscription,” he says. “Anyone with a valid card to a particular library can access the service and you don’t need to be there, since we offer everything online.”