Shark Tank Australia brings in US great white Robert Herjavec to join Showpo’s Jane Lu on the investor panel

Shark Tank Australia, which is returning to the screen in 2023 on 10, has revealed five new investors for the new series. 

Crossing the Pacific from the US edition is prolific veteran investor Robert Herjavec, who’s ploughed more than $23 million into more than 50 companies across 14 seasons on the show.

The Ferrari-racing IT veteran landed in America with his parents via boat after escaping the former Yugoslavia during Communist control. He’s one of the OG basement entrepreneurs – that’s where he launched his first computer companies from his basement, going on to built and sell several IT companies, founding the Herjavec Group 20 years ago. It’s now a global cybersecurity firm.

He’s joined by four locals stumping up their own cash for a slice of the startups busking for bucks. They are Jane Lu, founder and CEO of online fashion boutique Showpo; ethical AI expert Dr Catriona Wallace, founder of the Responsible Metaverse Alliance; Sabri Suby,  founder of King Kong Digital Marketing Agency and author of Sell Like Crazy; and ecommerce wunderkind Davie Fogarty, founder of Davie Group, and the guy to blame for the popularity of The Oodie.

10 is now owned by Paramount ANZ and senior VP of content and programming Daniel Monaghan said they’re excited to return “the world’s number one business show” to local screens.

“Our five new Sharks come from diverse sectors of business, and their backgrounds and journeys to success are nothing short of inspirational,” he said.

“We can’t wait for them to share their knowledge and provide invaluable take aways to the entrepreneurs who enter the Tank.”

The original Australian edition of Shark Tank launched in 2015 with the sharks including Red Balloon’s Naomi Simson, Boost Juice’s Janine Allis, and River City Labs founder Steve Baxter.

Their role is as competing investors in the early-stage companies pitching for cash, supposedly cutting a deal on the show.

One of the best known contestants was Car Next Door, which was acquired by Uber last year.

If you’re interested in pitching on national TV for funding, application details are available at 10play.com.au/casting

You always overestimate what you can accomplish in a year, and underestimate what you can accomplish in 10 years. Set yourself up for long-term success !#MondayMotivation #RHMotivates pic.twitter.com/62ElBpdQaJ

— Robert Herjavec (@robertherjavec) March 20, 2023