Janet Emerson Bashen, born February 12, 1957, is the first African American to file a patent for software program invention. A graduate of Alabama A & M and University of Houston, she received $5000 from her mother to start her EEO company at her kitchen table. She was motivated to do so, once the CEO at a former company refused to investigate a much needed EEO complaint. With her new business, she also consults companies regarding HR procedures and discrimination. Her company Bashen Corporation grew so quickly, that in order to track this sensitive information, she and her cousin invented LinkLinePlus software program.
A Houston resident, Bashen has received quite of few honors and awards:
- Houston, TX Chamber of Commerce Pinnacle Award (2003)
- National Association of Negro Women in Business Crystal Award (2004)
- MIT Recognition at World Festival of Black Arts and Culture in Dakar, Senegal (2010)
- Women’s Leadership Board at Harvard’s Kennedy School (2014)
- Black Inventors Hall of Fame
“My success and failures make me who I am and who I am is a black woman raised in the south by working class parents who tried to give me a better life by fostering a fervent commitment to succeed.” – Janet Bashen
