On the TechTO stage ×2
Michael Hyatt
Watch on YouTube ↗Founder Journey ft. Michael Hyatt
Watch on YouTube ↗First seen on the TechTO stage in 2021. Every talk is searchable — ask the archive about Michael ↗
In their words
If I can build this and make five million, that's good. You get to there, oh, look at that hill. I'm going to get to 10. Then you get to that $10 million hill. Oh, there's a 20 hill. And then you just keep successfully moving up hills. It's harder to stop than it is to start.
If I invest in your company today, I guarantee 100% of you are wrong. You are wrong by 3% or 30% or 180 degrees, whatever. But you're gonna be wrong. I'm betting on your ability to pivot.
The truth is I have one kidney and I thought in my life I had to get a transplant at some time and I had to save my own life. And we didn't have money. So I wanted to make 250 grand in case I had to buy a kidney. That's exactly why I outworked everybody else. And that was the genesis of why I wanted to make money.
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Quick answers
What is Michael Hyatt known for?
Building two companies with his brother Richard: Dyadem, engineering risk-assessment software sold to IHS in 2011, and BlueCat, the Toronto network infrastructure firm sold for $400M in 2017. He was also a Dragon on CBC's Next Gen Den.
What does Michael Hyatt do now?
He is Executive Chairman of DataStealth, the cybersecurity company he and Richard bought majority control of in 2023. He also invests through the Hyatt Family Office, is a fellow at the Creative Destruction Lab, and is a senior advisor to Northleaf Capital Partners.
What happened to BlueCat?
Madison Dearborn Partners bought it for $400M in 2017. Hyatt kept a minority stake and a board seat until Audax Private Equity bought BlueCat for $700M-plus in 2022. The company still operates.
Is this the same Michael Hyatt as the American leadership author?
No. This is the Toronto tech founder behind BlueCat, Dyadem and DataStealth. The author and publisher of the same name is a different person based in the United States.