Michael Smolens

In 2007, Michael Smolens launched Dotsub, the world’s first and leading browser-based tool to enable any video, in any language, to easily, quickly, and inexpensively be made available in any other language, and then viewable on all video-enabled devices and platforms, including mobile. Dotsub is privately funded and is at the confluence of four exponential growth curves—mobile, video, social networks, and globalization.

A serial entrepreneur from age 24, Michael launched over the next 30 years, from scratch, global manufacturing facilities of garments in Haiti, Mexico, Hungary, Romania, Turkey, Pakistan, India, Jordan; cotton in Egypt; chickens in Russia; and cement in Azerbaijan. His facilities have created more than 20,000 jobs, supporting the livelihood of over 100,000 people. From these experiences, Michael developed a deep understanding of the similarities, and more importantly the differences, in doing business in various areas of the world. More specifically, he became acutely aware of the needs, desires, and sensitivities of people across different cultures, and the important role language plays in meeting these needs.

Dotsub is cash-flow positive with its enterprise business, and is starting five new specific industry verticals (education/learning, pharma/healthcare, Videos4Villages, global conferences/meetings, and Video Machine), all based on multilingual video and Dotsub technology.

In order to accomplish these aggressive plans, Michael hired a CEO in 2011, and took the title “collector of puzzle pieces,” in addition to his traditional titles of founder and chairman.