Dark technology operations room with blue world-map security monitors.

Robert Herjavec Biography: From Yugoslavia to Shark Tank

by

Robert Herjavec had already built and sold an internet-security company when he returned to entrepreneurship in 2003. His next venture, The Herjavec Group, began with a difficult first year. In a later interview, he recalled setting a sales target of $5 million and finishing with approximately $400,000.

Herjavec Group went on to expand internationally, attract a private-equity majority investment and join the business later named Cyderes. After years as chief executive, Herjavec handed over day-to-day leadership but stayed involved as an investor and board member.

His path to cybersecurity was unusual. Raised in Yugoslavia, Herjavec came to Canada as a child, studied English literature and worked in television production before entering technology sales. His appearances on Shark Tank later brought the businessman before a far wider public.

A Quick Look at the Life of Robert Herjavec

Biography Summary

Robert Herjavec is a Canadian cybersecurity entrepreneur, investor, author and television personality. He founded BRAK Systems and The Herjavec Group, appeared on Dragons’ Den and Shark Tank, and later combined board and investment work with a strategy role at Zetaris.

Profile

Full Name: Robert Herjavec

Born: September 14, 1962

Hometown: Varaždin, in present-day Croatia (formerly Yugoslavia)

Education: BA in English Literature, New College, University of Toronto, 1984

Best Known For: Founding BRAK Systems and The Herjavec Group; appearing as an investor on Shark Tank

Business Associations: BRAK Systems, Herjavec Group, Cyderes and Zetaris

Later Roles: Cyderes board member, investor and adviser; Zetaris Executive Director, Global Strategy

Leaving Yugoslavia and Making a Life in Canada

Herjavec’s childhood began in the former Yugoslavia. In a 2026 interview, he recalled living with his family in the village of Zbjeg and leaving the country in 1970, when he was eight. He attributed the family’s departure to political repression connected with his father Vladimir’s dissent. Those circumstances, including his account of his father’s repeated arrests, are Herjavec’s later recollections.

According to the same account, the family went through Italy and eventually traveled by ship to Halifax before settling in Toronto. The University of Toronto records Herjavec’s arrival in Canada in 1971, consistent with a journey that began the previous year. He remembered the family arriving with very little money and without English.

Herjavec remembered staying in the basement of an acquaintance’s Toronto home and later living in a one-bedroom apartment. He said his father worked at a gas station, while his mother learned English and became a receptionist.

An English Literature Degree and an Unexpected Route into Technology

Herjavec graduated from New College at the University of Toronto in 1984 with a BA in English Literature, not a computing or engineering degree. He later said that reading widely and discussing ideas helped him learn to explain complicated subjects, a skill he valued in his business career.

The degree was not assured throughout his studies. Herjavec later recounted having difficulty with tuition and nearly leaving university after struggling in an advanced-algebra course. He credited his parents with helping cover part of the cost. The story is his own account of the financial and academic pressures of the period.

After university, he worked in film and television production. He then moved into a sales position at LogiQuest, a technology company selling IBM-related equipment. In a 2019 interview, he explained that the change was driven by a need for reliable income rather than a pre-existing specialty in cybersecurity.

Herjavec has described initially working at LogiQuest without pay for six months and eventually becoming general manager. After leaving the company, he founded his own internet-security business.

BRAK Systems: The First Cybersecurity Business and Its Sale

Herjavec founded BRAK Systems, a Canadian internet-security company, reportedly in 1990. He later recalled securing its first customer order before registering the company name or obtaining a tax identification number. That sequence comes from his own account.

On March 20, 2000, AT&T Canada acquired all issued and outstanding shares of Brak Systems Inc. The buyer’s audited financial statements recorded a purchase price of C$30.226 million. That was the price of the company acquisition, not a verified personal payout to Herjavec.

The sale closed one chapter of Herjavec’s work in internet security. Another security-networking business soon became part of his career.

Ramp Networks, Nokia and a Return to Family Life

Following BRAK, Herjavec became involved with Ramp Networks, a Silicon Valley security-networking company. In a later interview he described taking over the business, although the precise extent of his ownership and executive title is not established by the transaction announcement.

Nokia completed its acquisition of Ramp Networks in January 2001 and announced it on January 25. Nokia reported an aggregate cash purchase price of approximately $127 million. The reported consideration was for Ramp Networks as a whole; it should not be read as a payment made personally to Herjavec.

After that period, Herjavec said he spent time at home caring for his children. He later described the interval as approximately three years as a stay-at-home father. His next company would again operate in cybersecurity, but it would be built around providing security services to enterprise customers.

Building Herjavec Group Beyond a Difficult First Year

In 2003, Herjavec founded The Herjavec Group in Toronto. It provided corporate computer and cybersecurity services, later including managed security, identity-related services and consulting.

Herjavec later recalled the pressure of the company’s opening year. He said he had aimed for $5 million in sales but produced about $400,000, and remembered fearing that the venture might not succeed. These were his retrospective estimates, not audited first-year figures. He also spoke about developing technology-supplier partnerships and making international acquisitions as the company expanded.

Over time, Herjavec Group developed into a multi-country business. A 2019 interview estimated its workforce at about 300 and projected more than $200 million in sales for that year. Those were contemporaneous estimates and projections, not current or audited results. By the end of 2021, the planned combination with Fishtech was being discussed in terms of more than 600 security professionals across the businesses.

From Cybersecurity Executive to Television Investor

While leading his security business, Herjavec became a familiar face on business-investment television. He appeared as an investor on Canada’s CBC Dragons’ Den and on ABC’s Shark Tank in the United States. Both roles were established by December 2009, the year the American program began.

On television, Herjavec evaluated business pitches and decided whether to invest. In a 2009 University of Toronto interview, he discussed the importance of setting limits: “The hardest thing you have to learn is not to be cutthroat, but to say no.”

His business advice also appeared in books. He published Driven: How to Succeed in Business and in Life in 2010, The Will to Win: Leading, Competing, Succeeding in 2013 and You Don’t Have to Be a Shark: Creating Your Own Success in 2016. The last book, written with John Lawrence Reynolds, emphasized selling and persuasion. His public television work later extended beyond North America: Paramount Australia announced him as an investor on the revived Australian Shark Tank in 2023.

Family Changes and Public Legal Proceedings

Another television appearance became part of Herjavec’s personal story. He competed on season 20 of Dancing with the Stars in 2015, partnered with professional dancer Kym Johnson. They married in Los Angeles on July 31, 2016, and welcomed twins, Hudson and Haven, in April 2018. Herjavec also has three older children.

Herjavec had previously been married to Diane Plese. In a 2015 interview, he spoke openly about depression and suicidal thoughts during the breakdown of that marriage and said volunteering helped him regain perspective. Those remarks described a difficult time in his life; they do not establish anything about his current mental health.

The divorce also involved financial litigation. An Ontario trial court ordered an equalization payment and monthly spousal support, and on December 16, 2020, the Ontario Court of Appeal dismissed Herjavec’s appeal of the spousal-support award. This was a ruling about the financial obligations arising from the marriage, not a finding of personal misconduct.

In separate 2017 civil proceedings, Herjavec accused former girlfriend Danielle Vasinova of attempted extortion; she brought a countersuit alleging sexual assault and other misconduct, which he denied. Reporting in June 2018 said that both lawsuits were dismissed with prejudice after a settlement. The allegations were disputed, and the reported dismissals did not amount to a judicial determination that either side’s claims were true.

Apax, Fishtech and the Arrival of Cyderes

A change in ownership began a new phase for Herjavec Group. On February 11, 2021, Apax Partners announced a definitive agreement for funds it advised to acquire a majority stake in the company. Herjavec was to remain its CEO and a significant shareholder. Apax did not disclose financial terms, so the announcement does not establish a personal sale price.

On December 30, 2021, Apax announced plans to combine Herjavec Group with Fishtech Group. The proposed structure gave Apax-advised funds majority ownership of the combined business, with Herjavec designated CEO and Fishtech founder Gary Fish named board chairman. At the time of the announcement, the transaction was still subject to regulatory approvals.

On June 6, 2022, the businesses introduced the name Cyderes, drawn from “Cyber Defense & Response.” Herjavec continued as CEO, now leading an enterprise branded independently of the Herjavec Group name.

Handing Over the CEO Role While Remaining Involved

Herjavec’s position at Cyderes changed again in 2024. On September 24, the company announced that Chris Schueler would succeed him as chief executive, effective October 1, 2024. Cyderes described Herjavec’s continuing position as a significant investor and board member who would advise the business.

Cyderes said it employed nearly 1,000 people at the time of the announcement. Herjavec continued to have a stake in that business, but responsibility for running it moved to Schueler.

A New Strategy Role at Zetaris

In March 2025, the data-platform company Zetaris announced Herjavec’s appointment as Executive Director, Global Strategy, and said he had invested in the business. ABC’s official biography also described his involvement in data management and identified him as a minority investor.

Herjavec said he saw potential in enterprise data infrastructure for artificial intelligence. At Zetaris, his announced responsibilities concerned strategy and investment rather than day-to-day leadership as CEO, adding another role alongside his television and Cyderes activities.

From Founder to Investor and Adviser

Herjavec’s first company ended in a sale; his second became a much larger security-services enterprise under a new name and ownership structure. The first-year sales shortfall he recalled at Herjavec Group contrasts with the scale Cyderes had reached by the time he stepped aside as CEO.

His later work did not depend on running the company he founded. Through board involvement, investing, television and the Zetaris strategy role, Herjavec remained active in business while his responsibilities changed. The movement from founder and operator to investor and adviser is a central part of his continuing career.

Timeline

The following timeline highlights major milestones in Robert Herjavec’s life and business career.

Timeline.

September 14, 1962

Robert Herjavec is born. His childhood is spent in the former Yugoslavia.

1970–1971

Herjavec says his family leaves Yugoslavia in 1970. The University of Toronto records his arrival in Canada in 1971.

1984

Graduates from New College at the University of Toronto with a BA in English Literature.

1990 (reported)

Herjavec later dates the founding of his internet-security company BRAK Systems to this year.

March 20, 2000

AT&T Canada acquires BRAK Systems in a transaction recorded at C$30.226 million.

January 2001

Nokia completes its acquisition of Ramp Networks, a company with which Herjavec had worked.

2003

Founds The Herjavec Group in Toronto.

By 2009

Appears on Canada’s Dragons’ Den and the US Shark Tank, which debuted in 2009.

2010–2016

Publishes Driven (2010), The Will to Win (2013) and You Don’t Have to Be a Shark (2016).

2015–2018

Competes on Dancing with the Stars in 2015, marries Kym Johnson in 2016 and welcomes twins in 2018.

February 2021

Apax Partners announces a signed agreement for a majority investment in Herjavec Group.

December 2021

Apax announces the planned combination of Herjavec Group and Fishtech Group.

June 2022

The combined cybersecurity enterprise publicly introduces the Cyderes name.

March 2023

Paramount Australia announces Herjavec as an investor on Shark Tank Australia.

October 1, 2024

Chris Schueler becomes Cyderes CEO; Herjavec remains an investor, board member and adviser.

March 2025

Zetaris announces Herjavec’s appointment as Executive Director, Global Strategy.

FAQs

What did Robert Herjavec study at university?

Robert Herjavec earned a BA in English Literature from New College at the University of Toronto in 1984. His university degree was not in computer science or engineering, although his subsequent career moved into technology sales and cybersecurity.

Was Robert Herjavec fired from LogiQuest?

Herjavec said in a 2017 interview that he was fired from LogiQuest. In a 2026 recollection, he instead described quitting after a conversation with Bob Metcalfe. Those versions leave the precise circumstances of his departure unresolved. He went on to found BRAK Systems.

Did Robert Herjavec sell BRAK Systems for more than $100 million?

No such amount is established by the buyer’s audited record. AT&T Canada acquired BRAK Systems on March 20, 2000, for C$30.226 million. Later promotional biographies have quoted more than $100 million, but the audited figure refers to the full company acquisition, not Herjavec’s personal proceeds.

Why have different prices been reported for Nokia’s acquisition of Ramp Networks?

Later profiles have cited $225 million, but Nokia’s January 2001 announcement stated an aggregate cash purchase price of approximately $127 million for Ramp Networks. Neither figure establishes Herjavec’s individual proceeds.

When did Herjavec Group become Cyderes?

The combination with Fishtech Group was announced on December 30, 2021, and the Cyderes brand was announced on June 6, 2022. The precise legal completion date of the merger is not established by those announcements.

Is Robert Herjavec still CEO of Cyderes?

No. Chris Schueler succeeded him as CEO effective October 1, 2024. Herjavec remained involved with Cyderes as a significant investor, board member and adviser.

Interviews

Starting in Sales and Building BRAK — The Varsity (2017)

This interview looks back at Herjavec’s university education, his move into technology sales and the early decisions involved in BRAK Systems. It includes his account of the first customer order and what he learned from the transition to entrepreneurship. Readers can also read his earlier account of leaving LogiQuest.

View the interview

The Difficult Start at Herjavec Group — Business Jet Traveler (2019)

Herjavec discusses the route from television production to technology work, his experience with security businesses and the decision to found Herjavec Group. The interview is especially useful for his firsthand recollection of a first year in which sales fell far short of his target. It also covers the time he says he spent at home with his children.

View the interview

Business Judgment and Television Investing — University of Toronto Magazine (2009)

Recorded when his roles on Dragons’ Den and Shark Tank were already established, this interview captures Herjavec’s perspective as an entrepreneur who was also evaluating other people’s pitches. His discussion of learning to say no gives readers a concise glimpse of his stated approach to investment decisions.

View the interview

Sources