Robert Herjavec is an entrepreneur and television personality best known for appearing on Shark Tank and the Canadian version of Dragons Dens. He made his wealth founding BRAK Systems, a computer company that he sold to AT&T Canada for $30.2 million in 2000. Currently, he is the CEO of The Herjavec Group, a cybersecurity firm. Today, Robert Herjavec has a net worth of $200 million.
| Name: | Robert Herjavec |
|---|---|
| Net Worth: | $200 million |
| Annual Earnings: | $20 million+ |
| Source of Wealth: | Cybersecurity & Investing |
| Wife: | Kym Herjavec |
Early Life
Herjavec was born in Zbjeg, Croatia on September 14, 1962. Herjavec’s father, Vladimir, had been detained for speaking out against the communist government. His family fled the war-torn country in 1970 in the hope of building a better life elsewhere.
When Robert was eight years old, the family moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia but later relocated to Toronto, Canada. Here the family lived in the basement of a friend’s house for 18 months and Robert’s father got a job at a factory to support the family.
Herjavec got a bachelor’s degree in English literature and political science from the University of Toronto in 1984. However, even with a degree, he worked at various low-paid jobs including delivering newspapers, waiter and even debt collection.
Entrepreneurial Career
Similarly to Kevin O’Leary, Robert had an early interest in filmmaking and worked as an assistant director for a handful of TV programs. As he was in-between jobs he secured a job at Logiquest selling IBM mainframe emulation boards even though he didn’t have the necessary qualifications.
After getting fired as a General Manager at Logiquest, he started an internet software business from his basement called BRAK Systems. The Croatian sold the business ten years later to AT&T Canada for a cool $30.2 million.
Afterwards, he had a brief spell at Ramp Network as their VP of Sales but the firm was acquired by Nokia for $200 million. He set up The Herjavec Group in 2003, a cybersecurity company. The business later rebranded to Cyderes and is doing $200 in annual revenue.
Media Career
With his successful career as a businessman, Herjavec was invited to join the Canadian version of Dragon’s Den. He featured in the first six seasons but jumped ship along with Kevin to join Shark Tank in 2009.
He remains on the show as an original cast member but he hasn’t done a lot of deals and tends to be very selective. Also, entrepreneurs often pick Billionaire Mark Cuban. He’s invested in over 50 companies on the show including the likes of Tipsy Elves, Happy Feet and Sand Cloud.
Outside of Shark Tank, Robert is a published author and appeared on season 20 of Dancing with the Stars. This is where he met his future wife, Kym Johnson.
Net Worth and Earnings
As a Shark, Robert Herjavec is paid $50,000 per episode. However, it is expected that he makes much more from investing on the show. His most successful Shark Tank deal was Tipsy Elves, an apparel clothing that has generated $125 million in sales.
Aside from his televised investments, Herjavec makes money investing in real estate and running his cyber security firm, Cyderes. Thanks to his business endeavors, he’s worth an estimated $200 million.
Personal Life
Robert married optometrist Diane Plese in 1990 and they had three children: Brendan, Skye, and Caprice. Sadly, they divorced in 2014 and married Australian dancer Kym Johnson in 2016. The couple has twins, Hudson and Haven. They live in a Toronto mansion that houses Robert’s impressive car collection.
