Janie Tsao facts for kids

Janie Tsao, born in 1953, is a talented Chinese American businesswoman and engineer. She was born in Taiwan with the name Wu Chien. Janie and her husband, Victor, started a very important company called Linksys. This company helped many homes get connected to the internet. They later sold Linksys to a big company called Cisco Systems for a lot of money in 2003.

Janie Tsao's Early Life and Education

Janie Tsao, whose birth name was Wu Chien, grew up in Taiwan. She went to Tamkang University and earned a bachelor's degree in English literature. It was there that she met Victor Tsao, who would become her husband and business partner. They later got married in the United States.

In 1977, Janie and Victor moved to Chicago, where they continued their studies in graduate school. After their studies, they decided to make their home in California.

Janie Tsao's Career Journey

Starting Her Career

Before she became famous for Linksys, Janie Tsao had a successful career in technology. In 1975, she moved to the United States. She started working at Sears Roebuck in their information technology department. She worked there for more than eight years. Later, she held important roles as a systems manager at companies like TRW and Carter Hawley Hale.

Creating Linksys

An early router from Linksys that helped computers connect wirelessly.

In 1988, Janie and Victor Tsao had a clever idea. They wanted to create a product that would let several computers share one printer. Janie, who was 35 years old at the time, decided to leave her job. She used her and Victor's savings to start their new company, Linksys. They began their business right in their own garage!

Their first product was a big success. By 1991, Linksys was making enough money that Victor could also quit his job. He joined Janie to work on the company full-time.

Janie Tsao was in charge of sales for Linksys. She was very good at convincing big stores to sell their products. In 1995, she got Fry's Electronics to sell Linksys items. The next year, in 1996, she convinced Best Buy to do the same. These were huge steps for Linksys. Their sales grew four times bigger to $21.5 million in 1996. Two years later, sales tripled again to $65.6 million!

Janie also helped Linksys connect with cable and telecom companies. This allowed people across the country to share high-speed internet using Linksys products.

In 2003, the Tsaos sold Linksys to Cisco Systems for $500 million. They continued to work for Cisco as senior leaders until 2007. After that, they retired from their corporate jobs. They then focused on Miven Venture Partners, an investment company they had started in 2005.

Awards and Recognition

Janie Tsao has received many awards for her achievements.

• In 2000, she was named Entrepreneur of the Year by the Orange County Business Association.
• In 2002, she received a BridgeGate 20 award.
• In 2004, Janie and Victor were jointly named Entrepreneur of the Year by Inc. magazine.
• She also won the ABIE Award for Technical Leadership from the Anita Borg Institute in 2005.

Janie Tsao's Personal Life

Janie Tsao and her husband, Victor, have two sons named Michael and Steven. They also have a foundation called the Tsao Family Foundation. Through this foundation, they support the Center for Asian American Media. This organization creates documentaries that help people understand different cultures and communicate better.