How an Immigrant Couple Built Careers and Businesses in Silicon Valley

Welcome to Americans by Choice. Today, we have a very special show. For the first time, we have two guests. It's a couple who moved from Russia to the United States more than 20 years ago. Catherine leads a language-services company and has built a community of women entrepreneurs. Paul started as a tech engineer, moved into enterprise sales, and now works in healthcare.

Whose decision was it to come to the United States first?

I guess it was mine. I realized that things were kind of going downhill and I didn't see a lot of future. So I started actively looking and got accepted into Berkeley. I transferred, moved to California, graduated from Berkeley, and stayed in Silicon Valley because it really is the hub where things happen.

I came to the United States in 2002, and my story is a little different from Paul's. I never thought of coming to the U.S. I had a pretty good life in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and I was planning to continue my academic career at the university in the language field. Then, in the middle of our romantic relationship, Paul decided to go to the United States. We had a long-distance relationship for four years. Eventually, I followed him. I came here not for a better life, but for love.

I was in the middle of building my career there. I really liked teaching and wanted to continue my academic career. Then we got married and I decided I needed to follow him and start from scratch. So I moved to the U.S.

What did you think you would not be able to achieve in Saint Petersburg? Why was there a desire to come here?

Back then it was pretty clear that technology was surpassing whatever I was learning at university. My professors were talking about things that were obsolete by about ten years. I was learning on my own and felt that if I stayed, I would stagnate. When I came here, I was blown away by how much people were doing in a day compared with what I was doing in a quarter there.

When did it stop feeling like an adventure and start feeling like real life?

I guess when the bills started rolling in. You get an apartment, bills to pay, and responsibilities. Then Catherine comes over and you start planning for the future: what are we doing, where are we moving after this, how long is this phase going to last, and what's next? That's when it becomes real.

For me everything was new and unusual. Although I already spoke English, I still had that barrier. Silicon Valley's lifestyle was also totally different from a big city like Saint Petersburg. I basically had my suitcases ready to go whenever we were fighting or I felt uncomfortable. My parents were hoping I would come back. Gradually we built our life together and had two daughters. When I gave birth to our first daughter, I felt like I belonged to this place and this country.

Was there ever a moment at the beginning when you felt you had hit bottom as a couple?

When Paul was teaching me how to drive.

We were pressured a little into buying a house, maybe a little early. At one point we were truly scraping, and then additional taxes started rolling in that nobody had warned us about. It was really hard. Looking back, we made it. Around that time a friend taught us something that stuck: don't think only about how much you can save per month; think about how much more you can earn.

That perspective changed the whole thing. He told us we were talented, skillful, and knowledgeable, so instead of being afraid and focusing only on saving, we should think about what else we could do and what businesses we could open.

You just become an entrepreneur. I think that's how Catherine got started. Our first daughter was born, Catherine was an independent contractor, and I looked at everything and said, 'It doesn't seem that hard. Why don't you work for yourself? Start your own agency.'

As you kept developing your careers and ambitions, if there was a time when one of you needed more oxygen, how did you decide whose opportunity came first?

Our dynamic is mostly about pushing each other to do something we've been sitting on for a long time. You can have an idea and sit on it until it slowly dies. Paul was an engineer, but I could see he was tired of sitting in a cubicle programming. He was communicative and wanted to go into sales, so I pushed him toward it.

The same thing happened with my company. I wanted something of my own but probably wouldn't have dared to do it if he hadn't pushed me. I had just given birth to our first daughter, Victoria. We were sitting in the room with her and I complained that I was tired of what I was doing and wanted something else. Paul said, 'Let's start something new right now.'

If we have at least one source of income, we can go out and try. If it doesn't work, we'll try something else.

Paul is also helping me build the business. He has his own field in tech, but he always gives me advice. We share our problems, discuss them, and help each other.

Who is the biggest dreamer?

I think we both equally take life as an adventure, with all the hardships.

If you look back, it's like: do you want to come to America with me? Sure, let's take a risk. Let's have our first daughter. We don't have a place yet? We'll figure this out.

Catherine, let's go back to when you decided to start your company. What was it like building it without an established American presence?

We started it when our first daughter was born. Paul helped me set up a station in the garage of our townhouse, and we put an ad in the Yellow Pages. At that time no one was Googling anything.

In 2002, I was thinking of doing translation work while staying home with the newborn. I thought I could help with Russian translations and a couple of European languages I knew. We registered Bilingva in Silicon Valley and described it as providing language services. For a little while I was doing translations myself.

Then a man called and said he had found us in the Yellow Pages. He asked whether we could translate into Japanese and Chinese and provide live interpretation for a conference in San Francisco, including booths, equipment, and a technical team. I had a network of linguists from freelancing, but I had never done that before. I was holding the baby and saying, 'Yes, I think we can do it,' while figuring out in my head whom I could contact.

I told him I was a very boutique company. He loved that. He said he had been looking through the Yellow Pages, I was the third contact he found, and I was the first person who picked up the phone. He wanted us to help handle language services. He turned out to be an executive at a large IT company.

It grew slowly through word of mouth. The main thing was to say yes, even if you're afraid and don't know exactly how you're going to do it. Say yes first and then figure it out.

There are always risks in business. You can fail, but it's an experience. Even if you're scared, say yes to an opportunity when it comes and then figure it out.

Do you think being an immigrant woman and interpreter made you feel more prepared, or maybe less visible?

Business is still mainly a male world, even though we see more women in executive positions. Women sometimes try to put on men's clothing figuratively and adapt to that style. I prefer to use qualities I associate with being a woman in my negotiations, like reading people, understanding them, and empathy.

After I gave birth to our second daughter, another large IT company asked me to fly to Los Angeles and present my company in person. I repeatedly asked whether we could do it remotely, but they insisted. I had just given birth and was breastfeeding, so I froze milk at home and flew there. I was worried about the baby and felt completely out of sync with the room.

Eventually I told them honestly that I had asked to present remotely because I had just had a baby. The presentation did not become a long-term relationship, although they used our services a couple of times. The lesson for me was not to sacrifice your family or your life when you feel the timing is wrong.

Paul, going from tech engineer to enterprise sales leader, what did you have to learn?

First I joined a Finnish tech startup that wanted to expand in the United States. I worked directly with the CEO and the VP of sales and learned a lot as a solutions engineer. A few years later, at another startup, a VP of sales personally mentored me and taught me how to read the room, how to behave, what to say, what not to say, and how cultural differences can affect a meeting.

There are little cues: shaking hands, catching the eye, remembering the name, and then doing the sales process. It felt natural and I enjoyed it.

We once went to New York to present to Morgan Stanley. Right before I walked in, my mentor said, 'Paul, just remember to always have fun.' That took the pressure off. I've used that ever since in high-stakes meetings. If you cannot have fun while doing sales, rejection is going to break you.

Why do you think a lot of brilliant tech founders have trouble selling? They build something phenomenal and then struggle with the sales side.

Sales is about positioning for the buyer. There are many schools of sales, but ultimately they focus on why the buyer would want the product, which is not necessarily the same reason you want to sell it. A founder can have a fantastic product, but framing it so the buyer understands what difference it makes for them is a salesperson's skill.

Imagine a brilliant immigrant founder lands in Silicon Valley tomorrow without any network. What should that person do in the first 30 days?

There are so many social events in Silicon Valley and they're easy to discover through social media. Network as much as you can. Find people in your lane who understand what you're doing or can introduce you. Look for champions.

And don't network only in the Russian community. Get into the American community right away. Don't stay only in a language-specific or culture-specific niche just because it's more comfortable. You have to expand.

It's about what you need. Investors can open doors and introduce you to portfolio companies and other champions. There are people who have already made it in their careers and now want to consult or advise. And of course you look for customers. If you don't have a salesperson, you are the salesperson.

One thing not to spend on too early is growing the team prematurely. You have to use resources judiciously. Until you establish a sales motion, know why the product sells, and know your customer profile, adding salespeople will not necessarily move the needle. A founding executive can help build the playbook, but a typical sales executive expects infrastructure to already exist.

Tell me about Areti Health and explain it to somebody who doesn't understand the product language.

We operate in healthcare and look for people who can participate in clinical trials. Recruiting enough people in the allocated time is a major problem. We use AI to analyze medical records, identify people who appear to be a fit, and surface those people. The next step is getting them interested enough to agree to participate.

Research is an area where AI can be much faster. But even after identifying people, you still have to engage and educate them. A clinical trial can sound scary, and people need someone to explain it.

At what point does a human have to step in?

There's always a human element. We do the initial work, surface the patient, and take them through initial prescreening to confirm eligibility. Then coordinators or recruiters take over so people feel there is a human element. We can narrow the funnel to people who are truly a fit and interested, and then humans take over.

Which part of AI in healthcare do you think is overhyped?

For a while people thought the entire customer-service interaction could be replaced. That's not the case. We still see escalation when a conversation goes sideways or a person realizes they're talking to a bot and wants a human. A large part can be automated and scaled, but there will remain difficult cases where humans need to come in.

Do you think Silicon Valley is still the best place to build a company?

For me it's the talent and the resources available. Other hubs exist, but the pool of VC money and talent that can help you get started is still in Silicon Valley.

Do you think being an immigrant is an advantage or a disadvantage there?

I don't think it matters in the same way because Silicon Valley is so diverse. People come from all walks of life, and there are many immigrant connections and resources.

It's comfortable for an immigrant because everyone is from somewhere and many people speak with an accent. You realize that having an accent is okay. I would even say being an immigrant can be a plus because you push harder and value what you've achieved.

AI can understand languages, but does it understand culture? What do you think about that future and those nuances?

AI is changing the language industry, and we integrate AI into some translation processes. But culturally, you still need human linguists and project managers. There is post-editing and review. Some corporate and government clients do not allow AI because of security requirements. Routine work changes, but more advanced professionals are still needed to oversee the process.

For conference interpretation or high-level delegations and executive teams, you still have a human who understands the people, the cultural differences, and even the psychology involved.

Can multilingual AI technology make healthcare more accessible?

Absolutely.

Language can be a barrier to clinical-trial participation. We currently work with studies where outreach and prescreening can be conducted in Spanish. But ultimately there still needs to be a human who can talk to the patient in their language, explain what will happen, and maintain the integrity of the process.

What do you think should never be automated with AI in healthcare?

We don't make medical decisions.

We supply information, explain what happens, and ask questions. If somebody asks, 'Will this clinical trial cure me?' we cannot make that decision. That's where we connect the person to a doctor or another human. The clinical-trial industry is tightly regulated, and there are defined boundaries around what can and cannot be said to a patient.

Imagine a couple arriving in the United States. What actionable steps would you recommend in their first 90 days?

Join local groups and social-media groups in your area.

Be active and join gatherings, hikes, or other activities. Build a community around you. When I first joined Paul in the United States, I used Craigslist to offer language-related classes partly because I wanted to learn from people, understand what was happening around me, and get involved in the local community. Some of those people became my first friends here.

Catherine, you're a mother of two daughters, run a business, and build a community of women entrepreneurs. Can you tell viewers about that community?

While working in the language field, I saw many women executives and interpreters handling many responsibilities. I felt there was a need for a women's community to support each other and women who were thinking about becoming entrepreneurs. It's called vMeste, which is the Russian word for 'together.'

We need more choice, more freedom of choice, more education, and more opportunities. I truly believe women need this support.

If you could look into the camera and talk to your 18-year-old selves, what would you say?

Have fun and enjoy your life. For myself, I would say: don't be so shy. I think I missed a couple of opportunities because I didn't push through enough.

When I got out of Berkeley, I was heads down building my engineering career. About eight years later, I realized I wanted to do sales. I should have persevered earlier and said, 'No, that's what I want to do,' and run with it.

Would you still move to America if you knew exactly how difficult it would be?

Oh, for sure.

I would. I think it made our marriage stronger. We've had so many interesting things, projects, and adventures, and we feel confident and happy because we built it from scratch ourselves.

Who took the bigger professional risk?

I think me.

Who became more American?

Maybe Paul is more American, a little more than me.

Who works too much?

We push through, but when Catherine says she's underwater and needs help, I'll pick up the slack. It works the other way too when I'm swamped.

I'll say, 'Go and relax, enjoy your day, take a day off, and everything will be fine. I'll take over.' We balance each other.

What language do you guys argue in?

Russian.

Thank you so much, and thank you for flying all the way from Silicon Valley.

My name is Paul Neyman. I am Russian-American and I'm American by Choice.

I'm Catherine Neyman. I'm Russian-American and I'm American by Choice.