Unlocking Potential
Robbie Cabral is the inventor, CEO, and founder of Los Angeles-based BenjiLock, a finger-print enabled padlock manufacturer that was introduced to the tech industry at CES 2017 and soon after was made relatively famous on ABC’s Shark Tank. Padlocks for gym lockers, luggage, and bikes aren’t typically the focus of Residential Tech Today, but Cabral is expanding his focus with a new digital door lock line that could be a perfect fit for the growing smart home market
Cabral’s appearance on Shark Tank had a huge emotional impact on viewers of that show. His sincerity and story of overcoming hardship seemed to really resonate with the so-called Sharks (celebrity investors) who he was pitching. After three Sharks offered to work with him, he chose to partner with “Mr. Wonderful” Kevin O’Leary, a somewhat surprising choice at the time. Cabral, in this exclusive interview, explains that decision, and offers insight into what it’s like to be a first-generation American entrepreneur these days.
Residential Tech Today: Not to dredge up bad memories, but what were the circumstances in your life that led up to your invention of the BenjiLock?
Robbie Cabral: No, not at all. I think anytime that you’re creating something or inventing something or pursuing something that you want to do in life, it’s not going to be positive always. You’re going to go through so many ups and downs. And believe it or not, that’s why I relate a lot with BenjiLock, especially with what’s going on right now with the pandemic, because this whole pandemic came out of the blue. A lot of people now are getting laid off and you weren’t really expecting that.
RT Today: You lost your job back in 2014 and you and your wife had a baby on the way. How did that experience lead to your development of BenjiLock?
RC: Six months into my job, I got laid off. It was in the worst time of the year, because it was December. The same day that I got laid off, my daughter, Olivia, was born. [After that] I was going through a lot of depression and eating a lot and getting myself overweight. I finally decided to start going to my local gym, and one day I noticed someone left their key inside the locker. I saw the manager coming in to bolt cut it, and then they had to get a drill. I’m thinking to myself, “Wow, in this day and age, we have the iPhones now, they open up with your