Kevin O’Leary is an incredibly successful entrepreneur and investor with a net worth of $400 million (USD).
He is one of the investors on the Canadian TV show Dragon’s Den as well as the American Shark Tank. Both shows feature very successful entrepreneurs and investors – most of whom started from nothing.
The investors are pitched ideas by startups and business owners. They then decide whether or not to spend their own money and invest in the business.
In an episode of Dragon’s Den, Kevin O’Leary said he was bound to be successful since it’s in his blood. He said: “I’m a great salesman. That’s due to my heritage. My heritage is Phoenician, Lebanese, and Irish. All of them were great at selling. Phoenicians would travel all over the Mediterranean selling…”
Kevin O’Leary was born in Montreal, Canada, to an Irish father and a Lebanese mother. Following the death of his father, his mother married a Lebanese man.
How did he start?
Kevin started SoftKey Software Products in the basement of his house in Toronto. His mother invested $10,000 in the company.
Just a few years later, the company bought out almost every one of its competitors. It was then sold for $3.7 billion dollars. This deal marked one of the largest ever achieved in the consumer software world.
He then founded a mutual fund company called O’Leary Funds. It quickly grew to manage billions of dollars. He aims to make investments that are not only financially profitable but also environmentally friendly.
Politics
Kevin O’Leary announced his bid to join the Canadian Conservative Party Leadership race. Despite being in the lead, he dropped out of the race because he believed that Maxime Bernier would be the only one able to take down Liberal party leader Justin Trudeau.
Personal Life
Kevin has been married to his wife Linda for over 27 years. In 2011, they separated but returned to each other after two years. They have two children together, one of whom is a music producer and DJ. His wife is currently the Vice President of Marketing at O’Leary Wines.
Wealth
Through various investments, his net worth is estimated at $400 million (USD). It is impossible to estimate his annual earning or salary. We do, however, know that he makes just under $1 million (USD) per season of Shark Tank. He makes $30,000 (USD) per episode of Shark Tank but is likely to increase each year.
Investments
Kevin has invested in 40 companies on Shark Tank so far. On-air alone, he has invested almost $9,000,000 (USD).
Philanthropy
Kevin and his wife decided on seven charities which support causes such as climate change and education. They made consistent donations for a five-year period before choosing seven new charities.
Kevin also created the Future Dragon Fund, a Canadian organization which gives away $5,000 in prizes to 11th and 12th graders.
In 2012, Kevin hosted a show in Canada called Redemption Inc., which provided ex-convicts with $100,000 to start their own business if they won the elimination-type competitions. The cash for the winner was funded from Kevin’s personal money.
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