Robert Herjavec

Robert Herjavec was born in what was then Yugoslavia, in present-day Croatia.⁠[1]

He moved to Canada with his parents at eight. In a 2024 interview, he recalled initially living in a friend’s basement without knowing English while his parents worked toward owning a home.⁠[2]

He earned a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto’s New College, studying English literature.⁠[3]

He worked in film production, then sold IBM equipment at LogiQuest and became general manager. After being dismissed, he turned to entrepreneurship.⁠[1]

He founded internet-security business BRAK Systems.⁠[1]

He sold BRAK Systems to AT&T Canada. Inc. reported a price exceeding $30 million; he later explained that the offer’s potential to transform his family’s life influenced his decision.⁠[4]

He founded Herjavec Group to provide cybersecurity products and services to enterprises. Its work expanded into advisory services, architecture and implementation, identity management, managed security and incident response.⁠[5]

He was an original investor on CBC’s Dragons’ Den, hearing entrepreneurs’ pitches and negotiating investments. He departed after the sixth season.⁠[6]

He became an investor on Shark Tank when the US series launched. In a University of Toronto interview that year, he discussed appearing on both shows and balancing respect for others with the ability to decline a proposal.⁠[1][7]

His books include Driven (2010), The Will to Win (2013) and You Don’t Have to Be a Shark (2016), addressing entrepreneurship, competition and personal success.⁠[8]

He competed in season 20 with professional dancer Kym Johnson, finishing sixth.⁠[8][9]

He married Kym Johnson in Los Angeles after they had met through the dance competition.⁠[10]

He sued Danielle Vasinova in November 2017, alleging extortion. She alleged sexual assault; he denied it. The court index records a settlement notice on June 18, 2018. Both withdrew their suits; she apologized without payment.⁠[11][12][13]

He and Kym Johnson welcomed twins. He also has three children from his previous marriage.⁠[14]

In an interview, he described his involvement with Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission and company support for employees volunteering in its outreach and meal programs.⁠[1]

Apax-advised funds announced an agreement to acquire a majority stake in Herjavec Group, subject to applicable regulatory approvals. Financial terms were undisclosed. Herjavec would retain a significant stake and remain chief executive.⁠[5]

Herjavec Group and Fishtech Group announced a merger, with Herjavec as chief executive and Fishtech founder Gary Fish as chairman of the combined business. The announcement remained subject to regulatory approval.⁠[15]

The combined business adopted the Cyderes name and continued providing managed cybersecurity services.⁠[16]

He returned to the investor panel of Canada’s Dragons’ Den.⁠[17]

Paramount announced him as one of five investors in the relaunched Australian Shark Tank, alongside Catriona Wallace, Jane Lu, Sabri Suby and Davie Fogarty.⁠[18]

In The CEO Magazine, he argued that founders lacking funds could choose fields that place greater value on skills and human effort, while recognizing the risks inherent in entrepreneurship. These were his personal business views.⁠[2]

Chris Schueler succeeded him as Cyderes chief executive. Herjavec remained a board member, advisor and significant investor; older CEO wording on his personal website does not reflect this leadership change.⁠[19][20]

The channel released its Miami interview compilation Asking Wealthy Americans How They Got Rich!, listing him among its interviewees. Chapters cover Shark Tank insights and business uses of artificial intelligence.⁠[21]

ABC’s season-18 announcement retained him in the regular investor cast. On October 7, ABC News published a video featuring him and Lori GreinerLori GreinerLori Greiner is an American entrepreneur, inventor and investor who founded consumer-products company For Your Ease Only, worked extensively in television shopping and became an investor on ABC’s Shark Tank. Her work spans household organization, consumer-product investments, publishing and television production.Open the full entry discussing the season.⁠[22][23]

His website is https://robertherjavec.com/ (opens in a new window). It directly links to his X account at https://x.com/robertherjavec (opens in a new window), YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry channel at https://www.youtube.com/@robert-herjavec (opens in a new window) and LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry profile at https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertherjavec/ (opens in a new window).⁠[9]