Our Founders

In 1988 a young couple in Irvine, Victor and Janie Tsao, took $10,000 out of their savings to launch their business in a garage. They had no idea that the Linksys brand they started, would change how we share and use the internet.  In fact, years after leaving the management of the company they built, Victor and Janie Tsao were inducted into the Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame by Consumer Electronic Association in 2014, reaffirming their continued influence.  

Looking back on the process of starting their business, they attributed their success as being in the “right field at the right time”. The internet was raring to go as Linksys was concentrating on developing personal computer router products making web connectivity for home and small businesses accessible and affordable. During the time that Victor and Janie were running Linksys, they were chosen by Inc. Magazine for seven years in a row as one of the fastest growing private enterprises. Janie says this honor did not come easily, but rather was the result of wholehearted collaboration and hard work from the chief executive to the warehouse shipping team.

In 2005, Victor and Janie Tsao sold their growing company and began a multi-year plan to turn management over to new owners.  Following their departure from Linksys, Victor and Janie established the Tsao Family Foundation.  Assuming a low profile, they turned to philanthropy with a non-profit organization mainly in support of areas such as education, health care, and environmental protection.  For example, they have joined “pearl classes and schools” in Chinese villages to help poor students advance their schooling.  In Southern California, through the foundation, they continue to contribute to Hoag Hospital, CHOC of Orange County, The Purpose of Recovery, The Ecology Center and the South Coast Chinese Cultural Center.