Herjavec Robert

Robert Herjavec was born in 1962 in Varaždin, former SFR Yugoslavia (now Croatia). In 1970, at the age of eight, his family emigrated to Canada, arriving in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with minimal possessions and funds. They subsequently settled in Toronto. Herjavec, who initially spoke no English, faced early economic challenges, which instilled in him a strong work ethic and focus on self-reliance. He pursued various minimum-wage jobs during his youth, including waiting tables and delivering newspapers, to support his family while completing his education. In 1984, he earned a degree in English literature and political science from the University of Toronto, New College.

Herjavec’s career began with an unusual entry into the tech industry. After working in film production in the mid-1980s, including as a third assistant director and field producer for Global TV covering the 1984 Winter Olympics, he sought work between productions. He secured a position at Logiquest selling IBM mainframe emulation boards by offering to work for free for six months, sustaining himself through waiting tables during this period. He advanced to General Manager at Logiquest. Following his departure from Logiquest in 1990, he established BRAK Systems, an Internet security software integrator, from his home’s basement. This venture grew to be Canada’s largest company of its kind. He sold BRAK Systems to AT&T Canada (now Allstream Inc.) in 2000 for $30.2 million. He then served as Vice President of Sales at Ramp Network, which was later acquired by Nokia for $225 million.

In 2003, after a brief retirement, Herjavec founded The Herjavec Group, a security solutions integrator. The company rapidly expanded, becoming one of Canada’s fastest-growing technology firms and its largest information technology security provider, with annual revenues exceeding $200 million. In 2021, Apax Partners acquired a majority stake in The Herjavec Group, with Herjavec retaining a significant interest and his CEO role. In June 2022, The Herjavec Group merged with Fishtech Group to form Cyderes, with Herjavec as CEO and board member until September 2024, when he announced his transition from the CEO role. Beyond his business ventures, Herjavec has gained widespread recognition as a television personality, appearing as an investor on ‘Dragons’ Den’ (Canada) and ‘Shark Tank’ (USA and Australia). He is also an author of three books on business and success.