One of the nicest investors on Shark Tank, Robert Herjavec is most noted for being compassionate while also maintaining a raw honesty. Herjavek uses his story of being an emigrant from Croatia to Canada to speak to entrepreneurs who are just starting out. Using his meager background to connect to inexperienced entrepreneurs, he forms relationships with others to transform young ideas into successful companies. With his expertise and money, he has helped to start many businesses from the ground up.
Robert Herjavec came to Canada with his father with nothing. His father worked from the ground up to provide for him and his son. Herjavec took inspiration from his father and put it into his own path. He worked hard throughout school and walked away with a degree from the University of Toronto. After college, he began in sales at IBM. With a good knowledge of computers, he started BRAK Systems in 1990. The company grew to be a success and was eventually sold to AT&T Canada for over $30 million. He stayed on with the company and became the VP of Internet Security for the company.
In 2000, Herjavec went on to become VP of RAMP Networks before they acquired Nokia. After the acquisition, he was given almost half a million in options. Currently, he resides as the CEO of The Herjavec Group. He has appeared in the Dragon’s Den which is another version of Shark Tank. On both shows he is able to invest in young ideas and help make people successful just as he built his own business up from nothing. He still lives in Canada with his wife, and they have three kids. He is estimated to be worth over $100 million and continues invest in new business ventures he finds on the Dragon’s Den and Shark Tank.
This is a contributing post to CEO Blog Nation.