Celebrating Opportunity Recognition

Degerhan (Dare) Usluel, an MBA student who had no intention of working for a big business upon graduation, approached, then Rensselaer faculty member, Jack Wilson with the idea of starting a business in Wilson’s area of expertise—the application of computing and communication technologies.

In 1993, the existing one-to-many style of online video communication solutions were flawed and slow due to bandwidth limitations but Wilson had an idea that would solve that using multicasting. Usluel recruited classmate Mark Bernstein to round out the founding team that would eventually succeed in doing what several major computing companies had tried and failed at. iLinc Communications Inc became the first PC-based “virtual classroom” and “web conferencing” software product creating a distributed learning environment that would run on the internet.

Mark Bernstein '94

Mark Bernstein ’94 was co-founder, executive vice president, and board member of iLinc, which created the world’s first PC-based virtual classroom and web conferencing software product. Known for his Top Gun salesman status, he was the sales and marketing arm of the company. He went on to create Camp Walden, a co-ed overnight camp located in the Adirondack Mountains. Previously, he was a co-founder and vice president of sales for Contingency Planning Research, a company that created business resumption and disaster recovery plans for Fortune 500 companies. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Union College and an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Degerhan (Dare) Usluel '94

Degerhan Usluel ’94 was co-founder, CTO then CEO, and board member of iLinc, which created the world’s first PC-based virtual classroom and web conferencing software product. He helped guide the company via organic growth and mergers into a Nasdaq-traded global software company with a $500 million market value and $70 million in annual revenue. iLinc was later acquired by BroadSoft and eventually became part of Cisco. Usluel also served as chief marketing officer of KXEN and executive partner for Usluel Group. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronics engineering from Bilkent University and an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Jack Wilson, Ph.D. 

Jack Wilson, Ph.D., cofounded iLinc, which created the world’s first PC-based virtual classroom and web conferencing software product, with two MBA students he met while serving as the J. Erik Jonsson Distinguished Professor of Physics, Engineering Science, Information Technology, and Management at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He has won several awards for the work he has done to create new learning environments enabled by advances in computing, communications, and cognition. Wilson went on to serve as president of the University of Massachusetts and the Distinguished Professor of Higher Education, Emerging Technologies, and Innovation at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

The William F. Glaser '53 Rensselaer Entrepreneur of the Year award salutes successful entrepreneurs who, in turn, are important role models for the students at Rensselaer. Those honored with the award bring the world of entrepreneurship into the classrooms and laboratories at Rensselaer, sharing their experience and wisdom with all students.