▁invent or , ▁scient ist ▁and ▁entrepr ene ur . ▁Van ▁Wie ▁was ▁educated ▁at ▁Pom ona ▁College ▁and ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Wisconsin . ▁ ▁Van ▁Wie ▁worked ▁for ▁N im bus ▁Information ▁Systems , ▁a ▁subs idi ary ▁of ▁Max well ▁Communic ations , ▁between ▁ 1 9 8 9 ▁and ▁ 1 9 9 1 , ▁where ▁he ▁managed ▁the ▁development ▁of ▁a ▁high - speed ▁data ▁retr ieval ▁system . ▁In ▁ 1 9 9 1 ▁became ▁president ▁and ▁CE O ▁of ▁CD - ROM ▁Sol utions , ▁a ▁position ▁he ▁held ▁until ▁ 1 9 9 2 , ▁when ▁he ▁became ▁a ▁co - found er ▁of ▁Inter Tr ust ▁Techn ologies . ▁There , ▁in ▁addition ▁to ▁work ▁on ▁pat ent ▁development , ▁he ▁first ▁served ▁as ▁the ▁Chief ▁Technology ▁Officer , ▁before ▁taking ▁on ▁the ▁position ▁of ▁senior ▁vice ▁president , ▁research ▁and ▁Chair man . ▁He ▁took ▁the ▁company ▁public ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 9 , ▁just ▁before ▁the ▁ 2 0 0 0 ▁Stock ▁Market ▁Cr ash . ▁ ▁In ▁ 2 0 0 7 , ▁Van ▁Wie ▁co - f ounded ▁Soc oco ▁( So cial ▁Communic ations ▁Company ), ▁where ▁he ▁developed ▁several ▁new ▁communic ations ▁techn ologies ▁from ▁lab ▁to ▁market ▁and ▁became ▁Chair man ▁in ▁August ▁ 2 0 1 1 . ▁He ▁serves ▁as ▁both ▁Chair man ▁and ▁CE O . ▁Among ▁other ▁things , ▁the ▁company ▁produced ▁virtual ▁office ▁spaces ▁for ▁online ▁employees ▁to ▁interact , ▁through ▁something