Robert Herjavec

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Robert Herjavec
CEO
of The Herjavec Group
Founder of BRAK Systems
Spouses
Diane Plese
(m. 1990; div. 2016)
(m. 2016)
Children5
WebsiteOfficial website

Robert Herjavec (/hərˈɑːvɛk/; Croatian: [xěrjaːʋet͡s]; born September 14, 1962)[2] is a Croatian-Canadian businessman, investor, and television personality.

Herjavec founded BRAK Systems, a Canadian integrator of Internet security software, and sold it to AT&T Canada (now

Dragon's Den as an investor, including the Canadian CBC series Dragons' Den, the American ABC's version of the series Shark Tank, and from 2023, on the Australian Network 10 version also titled Shark Tank
. He has also written books on advancing in business.

Herjavec received the 2012 Ernst & Young Ontario Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Technology[6] and the 2012 Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal by the Governor-General of Canada for Outstanding Service to Canada.[7]

Early life

Herjavec was born in 1962 in

SFR, Yugoslavia (present-day Croatia),[8] and spent his early childhood in Zbjeg.[9] In 1970,[8] when Herjavec was eight, the family left the country, which had previously incarcerated Herjavec's father, Vladimir, for speaking out against the governing system.[10][11] According to Herjavec, "He’d drink a little too much and then say bad things about Communism, and got thrown into jail 22 times for being an anti-Communist."[12] Herjavec's family arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with a single suitcase[13] and only $20.[4] The family eventually settled in Toronto, where they lived in a family friend's home basement for 18 months.[14] For Herjavec, who spoke no English,[15] the transition proved difficult. Having grown up on a farm and raised by his grandmother among neighbors with similar lifestyles, he found himself in a much poorer economic class than his neighbors.[10]

Herjavec's father got a job in a factory in

salesman persuaded Herjavec's mother to buy a vacuum cleaner for $500, which was seven weeks' salary. As a result, Herjavec swore his family would never be taken advantage of again.[4]

In 1984, Herjavec graduated from

New College at the University of Toronto with a degree in English literature[15] and political science.[5] To make a living and help support his family, Herjavec took on various minimum wage jobs in the 1980s, such as waiting tables, delivering newspapers,[10] retail sales, and debt collection.[5]

Career

Early career in film

In the mid-1980s, Herjavec worked in several productions as a third

Business

Looking for work between productions, Herjavec applied for a position at Logiquest selling

General Manager of Logiquest.[3] In 1990, after being fired from Logiquest,[17] he founded BRAK Systems, a Canadian integrator of Internet security software, from the basement of his home.[3][5][17][11][18] BRAK Systems was sold to AT&T Canada (now Allstream Inc.) in March 2000 for $30.2 million.[4] He then became Vice President of Sales at Ramp Network, which was sold to Nokia for $225 million.[19]

The Herjavec Group

In 2003, Herjavec founded The Herjavec Group, a security solutions integrator, reseller, and managed service provider.[20] Herjavec Group is one of Canada's fastest-growing technology companies and the country's largest information technology security provider. The company has grown from 3 employees with $400,000 in sales in 2003 to $200 million in annual revenue.[21][5]

In October 2017, Herjavec was phished by "email prankster" James Linton as the company CEO, inviting him to a toga party. Later the fake account was copied into official financial projection documents.[22]

In February 2021, Apax Partners acquired a majority stake of Herjavec Group from Herjavec, who retained a significant stake and stayed on as CEO.[23][24]

Television

Herjavec has appeared as a regular on the Canadian CBC Television series Dragons' Den (seasons 1 to 6) season 17- present and in the United States on ABC's version of the series, Shark Tank, where business pitches from aspiring entrepreneurs are presented to a panel of potential investors. Herjavec's most successful investment from the show is $100,000 for a 10% stake in sweater company Tipsy Elves.[25] Herjavec has also invested in an herbal sparkling water company called Aura Bora.[26]

Herjavec won three Gemini Awards as part of Dragon’s Den for Outstanding Reality Show in Canada.[27]

Herjavec presented awards at the 2013 Creative Arts Emmy Awards[28] and the 2013 Mr. Olympia contest.[citation needed]

On February 24, 2015, Herjavec was announced as one of the contestants for season 20 of the American edition of Dancing with the Stars. His partner was Australian dancer Kym Johnson, who he subsequently began a relationship with and married.[29] On May 5, 2015, during a double-elimination, Herjavec and Johnson were eliminated and finished in 6th place.[30]

Publications

Herjavec is the author of three books. His first two books were Driven: How to Succeed in Business and Life (2010) and The Will to Win: Leading, Competing, Succeeding (2013). Driven is organized by the work and life principles that made Herjavec wealthy and successful, while The Will to Win delivers life lessons that promise to guide readers to greater happiness and success.[31][32] "The Will to Win" is also the name of public presentations that Herjavec has given, which feature his advice to business people based on his life experiences.[33] On March 29, 2016, his third book, You Don't Have to Be a Shark: Creating Your Own Success, was released.[34]

Personal life

Relationships

Herjavec married Dr. Diane Plese, an optometrist, in 1990. They separated in July 2014[35] and divorced in early 2016. He had suicidal ideation after his marriage fell apart.[36] He and his ex-wife have two daughters, Caprice and Skye, and a son named Brendan.[37][38][39] In June 2019, a judge ruled that Herjavec must pay his ex-wife additional sums that would bring the total she received from the marriage to $25 million.[40]

In September 2015, Herjavec confirmed his relationship with his former

Kym Johnson.[41] On February 27, 2016, the two became engaged.[42] On July 31, 2016, they were married in Los Angeles, California.[43]

In December 2017, Herjavec and Kym announced that they were expecting twins.[44] The twins, a boy and a girl, were born on April 23, 2018, named Hudson Robert Herjavec and Haven Mae Herjavec.[45]

In 2017, Herjavec's ex-girlfriend, Danielle Vasinova, whom he dated from 2013 to 2015, sued him for rape after he sued her for attempting to extort him over false claims of sexual assault.[46][47] Both suits were dismissed in mid-2018. The allegations against Herjavec were withdrawn without financial settlement, and Vasinova apologized to Herjavec and his family.[48]

Charitable support

Herjavec is a major donor to the Union Gospel Mission homeless shelter in Seattle, Washington, after being turned on to the organization by his pastor, whom he consulted to deal with his depression after his marriage fell apart.[49]

Home

Herjavec owns a home in the Bridle Path, Toronto, area. The mansion has been host to Michael Bublé, John Travolta, Mick Jagger, and Bono.[50] Herjavec paid $7.5 million for the mansion,[4] featured on MTV Cribs, Joan Rivers's TV show How'd You Get So Rich?, and a Rolling Stones tour video. Herjavec also has several other vacation homes.[51]

In December 2023, Herjavec was returning from his Newport Beach, California home when his private jet was met by the Canadian news media at Toronto Pearson International Airport.[52] This was due to speculation that he was bringing baseball player Shohei Ohtani to join the Toronto Blue Jays, but Ohtani was not aboard and instead announced he would be joining the Los Angeles Dodgers.[52]

Recreational activities

Herjavec is an avid golfer and runner. He has played in the 2010 Canadian charity open sponsored by

scuba diver and owns several Ducati motorcycles.[54]

A passion of Herjavec's is car racing. He competes in the

In 2012, Herjavec was selected as the

Honda Indy Toronto. He is also an avid car collector with several rare cars in his collection.[57]

Awards

In 2011, Herjavec was one of the Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards recipients presented by

References

  1. ^ Shandrow, Kim Lachance (June 24, 2016). "Robert Herjavec to Immigrant Entrepreneurs: 'People Don't Care About Your Color, Religion or Sex. They Care About the Value You Add.'". Entrepreneur.
  2. ^ "Robert Herjavec". Virtual International Authority File.
  3. ^ a b c "Robert Herjavec". Inside Philanthropy. August 17, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Kopun, Francine (March 16, 2010). "Robert Herjavec: The nice Dragon". Toronto Star.
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  6. ^ "Herjavec wins Special Citation from Ernst & Young". January 13, 2013.
  7. ^ "The Diamond Jubilee Medal" (Press release). Canada. January 12, 2013.
  8. ^ a b S., Z. (February 25, 2015). "Kanadski Hrvat u 12 godina zaposlio 250 ljudi, 'težak' je 200 milijuna dolara" [Canadian in 12 years employed 250 people, 'worth' $ 200m]. CroExpress (in Croatian).
  9. ^ Bach, Nenad (January 15, 2010). "Robert Herjavec Croatian-born Canadian entrepreneur, businessman and TV star". Croatian World Network.
  10. ^ a b c Mielach, David (February 26, 2012). "'Shark Tank' Judge Herjavec on Living the American Dream". Business News Daily.
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  12. ^ Eng, Dinah (November 12, 2016). "Before Robert Herjavec Was a Shark". Fortune.
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  14. Business News Daily
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  15. ^ a b "Alumni Portraits: Robert Herjavec". University of Toronto. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  16. ^ Fine, Jon (April 6, 2016). "Why 'Shark Tank' Star Robert Herjavec's Life Should Be Turned Into a Movie". Inc.
  17. ^ a b Feloni, Richard (May 7, 2015). "'Shark Tank' investor Robert Herjavec explains how to know you should quit your job and become a full-time entrepreneur". Business Insider.
  18. ^ "Robert Herjavec: Top 10 tips for budding entrepreneurs". CBC News. October 6, 2009.
  19. ^ Lagorio-Chafkin, Christine (June 11, 2012). "Shark Tank's Accidental Entrepreneur: Robert Herjavec". Inc.
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External links