Kevin O'Leary

Best recognized from the CBC TV's Dragon's Den, Kevin O'Leary's impressive reputation has been built upon his entrepreneurial vision, investment smarts and drive to succeed. In addition to being one of the Dragons, O'Leary is the former co-host of BNN's SqueezePlay, the host of BNN's O'Leary Live, and a 'Shark' on the ABC show, Shark Tank. He also co-hosts CBC TV's Lang & O'Leary Exchange, and is the host of the new CBC TV reality show, Redemption.

Born in Montreal, O'Leary is the son of a United Nations ILO official, which contributed greatly to his diverse cultural and educational experiences. He was educated in countries around the world, and he received an Honours Bachelors degree in Environmental Studies and Psychology from the University of Waterloo. In 1980, O'Leary earned his MBA from the University of Western Ontario.

In 1986, O'Leary co-founded SoftKey Software Products, and by the late 1990s, SoftKey had acquired numerous competitor companies including Compton's New Media, The Learning Company, Mindscape and Broderbund. In 1999, the company was sold to the Mattel Toy Company for $3.7 billion, which is one of the largest deals ever done in the consumer software industry.

O'Leary became co-investor and a director in Storage Now, and in 2007, he joined the advisory board of Genstar Capital LLC. As a self-proclaimed "Eco-preneur" O'Leary's focus is on investments that make money and are environmentally friendly. He is the founding investor and director of Stream Global, and is currently working as the entrepreneur/investor co-host for the Discovery Channel's, Discovery Project Earth, a new program that explores innovative ways man could reverse global warming.

O'Leary has developed a cult following among financial professionals and smart investors with his pull-no-punches look at the good, the bad and the ugly with respect to the markets and investment opportunities. Within his various television roles, his opinionated nature has won over millions, and he continues to impress with his audiences with professional tips and personal anecdotes.

In addition to serving on the executive board of The Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, O'Leary is a member of the investment committee of Boston's Hamilton Trust and an investor/director of EnGlobe.

Kevin's Blog Posts:

How to Win in Business Negotiations: Never Forget, It's All About the Money

• 1. The O'Leary Report

  With candor and unmatched business smarts, Kevin O'Leary draws on his encyclopedic knowledge of finance, investing, economics and business to discuss a variety of topics. How, for instance, will the global recession affect a myriad of industries, including your own, and 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 his enlightening and timely talks.

• 2. Celebrity Appearances

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  September 2011

  Cold Hard Truth: On Business, Money & Life

  Kevin O’Leary shares invaluable secrets on entrepreneurship, business, money and life. Can you make millions just by “visualizing yourself rich” as some business prophets suggest? Don’t buy it, says Kevin O’Leary. If you want to be a successful entrepreneur and amass wealth, you’re going to have to work for it. But the good news is: with the right guidance, focus and perseverance, you can turn entrepreneurial vision into lucrative reality and have the personal freedom that only wealth can buy. Kevin O’Leary would know. The much-feared and revered Dragon on the immensely popular show Dragons’ Den (and Shark Tank in the U.S.) started his company in his basement with a $10,000 loan from his financially savvy mother. A few years later, Kevin sold that company for more than four billion dollars. In this compelling, candid and, above all else, brutally honest business memoir, Kevin provides engaging, practical advice and lessons that will give anyone a distinct competitive edge.