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Kevin O'Leary
Star of ABC’s Shark Tank, Top Business Speaker, Serial Entrepreneur, Venture Capitalist & Investor
Kevin O'Leary
Star of ABC’s Shark Tank, Top Business Speaker, Serial Entrepreneur, Venture Capitalist & Investor
Biography
Famous as “Mr. Wonderful” on ABC’s multi-award-winning Shark Tank, Kevin O’Leary is a serial entrepreneur, respected investor, and bestselling author. A frequent guest on CNBC, Fox Business, and CNN, he is a go-to expert on business topics and financial markets. O’Leary is the founder of O’Leary Financial Group; Chairman of O’Leary Ventures, Beanstox, and O’Shares Investments; and a Strategic Investor in WonderFi. A self-made multi-millionaire who has launched and invested in more than 80 companies in the U.S. and his native Canada, O’Leary is passionate about helping people from all walks of life gain the freedom that comes from achieving their financial and entrepreneurial dreams.
When Kevin O’Leary speaks, audiences sit up and listen. Known around the world as the cold-hard-truth-talking “Mr. Wonderful” on ABC’s Shark Tank, O’Leary has inspired audiences from the Fortune 100 to Harvard Business School with his invaluable wisdom on achieving success, entrepreneurship, leadership, innovation, sales, financial markets, and the future of business and technology. Sharing his phenomenal track record of serial entrepreneurship, O’Leary takes audiences behind the scenes of both his own personal success and one of the most popular television shows of all time. O’Leary’s pay-it-forward passion for fostering an entrepreneurial mindset and empowering others to achieve their potential is positively contagious. Audiences leave motivated to own their own success, overcome obstacles, recognize opportunities, and achieve their goals—with actionable advice from a legendary Shark Tank investor.
Kevin O’Leary’s success story began in his native Canada, “with a big idea and zero cash.” In 1986, he founded SoftKey Software Products, later to be called The Learning Company, in his Toronto basement. Under O’Leary’s leadership, the company became a giant in its sector before it was acquired for $4.2 billion. In 2000, O’Leary founded O’Leary Ventures, a generalist venture capital investment platform that has since invested in start-ups and early-stage companies across virtually every sector. In 2003, he co-founded Storage Now, a leading developer of climate-controlled storage facilities, which was later acquired for $110 million. His next investment, Stream Global Services, was later acquired for $820 million.
In 2006, O’Leary joined the Canadian cast of Dragon’s Den, the international business reality show and forerunner of the U.S. Shark Tank franchise. His tough critiques and brutal honesty made him a popular judge. In 2009, he was invited to join the founding cast of ABC’s Shark Tank, alongside Mark Cuban, Robert Herjavec, Lori Greiner, Daymond John, and Barbara Corcoran. Shark Tank continues to be one of the most popular television programs of all time, garnering multiple awards and nominations, including four Emmy awards. Reflecting his commitment to “eco-preneurship,” O’Leary also co-hosted The Discovery Channel’s Project Earth series, which explored radical ideas to combat global warming.
O’Leary currently serves as chairman for a portfolio of companies that reflect his guiding principles for business. They include venture capital investment platform O’Leary Ventures; Beanstox, an automated internet-based investment advisory service; and O’Shares Investments, which provides ETFs for long-term wealth management. He is the founder of O’Leary Financial Group, and Chief Sommelier of award-winning O’Leary Fine Wines. Since 2021, O’Leary has also been a strategic investor in WonderFi, now one of the largest regulated crypto asset trading platforms in the world.
A strong believer in financial education and fostering the next generation of entrepreneurs, Kevin O’Leary is the author of a bestselling series of books: Cold Hard Truth; Men, Women and Money; and Family, Kids and Money. He has spoken to future entrepreneurs at Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, Notre Dame, Waterloo and McGill. Corporate speaking audiences have included Ernst & Young, MassMutual, First Third Bank, Constant Contact, Comcast, Zendesk, Cisco Systems, National Conference of State Legislatures, and ExxonMobil.
O’Leary serves on the investment committee of Boston's prestigious 200-year-old Hamilton Trust. He is an avid chef, wine lover, world traveler, photographer, electric guitarist, guitar collector, and die-hard New England Patriots fan.
Mr. O’Leary received an honours bachelor's degree in environmental studies and psychology from the University of Waterloo and an MBA in entrepreneurship from the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario.
Speaker Videos
The Kevin O'Leary Speakers Series
Entrepreneurship Keynote
Simple Rules For Investing With Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary
The Essence of Leadership
What You Need to be Successful
Business is War
Speech Topics
The Stories Behind the Success
Kevin O’Leary, one of North America’s most successful entrepreneurs, reveals the secrets that made him a multimillionaire—sharing hard-won advice for anyone seeking success. Kevin describes his incredible journey, from humble beginnings, to starting his first company in his basement, to achieving fame and success beyond his wildest dreams. His advice is engaging and practical— and will inspire audience members to become the best entrepreneurs and business people that they can be. O’Leary covers business, money, and life; how to find your calling and turn your talents into a profitable venture; building a dream team; transforming adversity into opportunity; and how to make and grow both your business and personal wealth.
Lessons From a Shark
Get ready for an unforgettable, behind-the-scenes look at Shark Tank with “Mr. Wonderful” himself. Kevin O’Leary shares entertaining and insightful outtakes from his favorite episodes—videos you can’t see anywhere else. Based on a content review prior to the event, he’ll provide a current economic overview and apply it to your industry. He’ll also become a “secret agent”— sharing insightful intel and observations on industry performance, opportunities for innovation, and future outlook.
An Evening with Kevin O'Leary
With candor and unmatched business smarts, Kevin O’Leary draws on his encyclopedic knowledge of finance, investing, economics, sales, and business to discuss a range of topics. How, for instance, will the current economic outlook affect a myriad of industries, including your own? What can you do to protect your company, and come out stronger than ever? Razor-sharp and quick on his feet, O’Leary pulls no punches in this enlightening and timely talk.
Pitch the Shark
What packed an auditorium full of Harvard Business School students on a Friday before a three-day weekend? The opportunity to pitch their business ideas to legendary entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and Shark, Kevin O’Leary. In this customizable format, your group will have the opportunity to pitch to “Mr. Wonderful.” Not just a new business or product, but innovative ideas to improve your organization itself. Or, get a sales team fired up competitively perfecting the same pitch with game-changing feedback from the master. It’s a lesson in building an entrepreneurial mindset that will engage everyone in the audience—and create an event they’ll talk about for years.
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