Known for his cold feedback to new entrepreneurs, Kevin O’Leary aka “Mr. Wonderful” is one of the most notable investors on the hit show, Shark Tank. Most people either love him or hate him as he speaks to entrepreneurs as a know it all. Even though he may come across as cold, he knows what he is talking about and has the background to prove it. O’Leary understands the process of bringing a concept to market and has invested in many novice entrepreneurs to help give them a chance as well.
O’Leary was born into a modest family in the suburbs of Canada. When his parents divorced at a young age, his mom remarried, and they moved to Cyprus where he spent some of his childhood. He attended great schools and walked away with his MBA. Receiving his business sense from his mom, O’Leary was destined for success one way or another. He would prove to be much more than successful, he would be a billionaire.
Kevin O’Leary was able to use a $10,000 investment from his mom to start a company called SoftKey. The company initially started out in the basement of a Boston home with several of his friends. The company marketed to homes all over the world as a pack of software for computers. The company bought out several well-known competitors like The Learning Company. The business grew to be so successful that Mattel bought SoftKey for $3.8 billion. One of the largest software acquisitions in history, O’Leary was now past being successful.
Not stopping there, O’Leary continues to work in several different arenas. He currently serves on the board of Genstar as well as working on a TV program Discovery Project Earth on the Discovery Channel. He is a host on Redemption, Inc and a venture capitalist on Dragon’s Den. Recently, he co-hosted The Lang and O’Leary Exchange where he has been faced with many controversies on some his statements. O’Leary continues to look for wise investments and does not seem to be stopping anytime soon.