Fatherly
Fatherly · 2024
Robert Nikic Featured in Fatherly
From war refugee to Inc. 5000 founder.
Ex-Yugoslavia → New York
The journey
#418
Inc. 5000
At a glance
- Outlet
- Fatherly
- Format
- Contributor profile
- Published
- April 2, 2024
- Topic
- From war refugee to Inc. 5000 founder
- Robert's role
- Founder and CEO
- Journey
- Former Yugoslavia → New York
Last updated
What Fatherly reported about Robert Nikic
Before the business
Fatherly's profile starts long before any company. Robert's family fled war in the former Yugoslavia. They lost their home and possessions and arrived in New York with nothing but the clothes they wore.
Failing young
As a teenager, Robert launched several technology ventures. Fatherly reports that each one failed, and that each taught him something specific about what entrepreneurs actually need, from simple tools to reliable suppliers.
What it became
Those lessons became the foundation of the platform he later built as CEO, which reached #418 on the Inc. 5000. The article quotes him on what the early years gave him: "Coming from war and having nothing teaches you the real value of perseverance and hope."
Related: Men's Journal on the same journey · Dropping Bombs on escaping war
"Coming from war and having nothing teaches you the real value of perseverance and hope."
In Robert's words
"Coming from war and having nothing teaches you the real value of perseverance and hope." That's what I told Fatherly, and it's the most honest summary I have. We left the Balkans with almost nothing and started over in New York. My teenage startups failed one after another. Later I worked 18-hour shifts to save money. When I finally built a company, we did it without outside investors, and it reached the Inc. 5000. I think about my parents a lot, because they gave up everything for a second chance. Since 2026 I've worked on SDG 8 & 9 so other families get one.
Robert Nikic
Key takeaways
01
Refugee beginnings
The family fled war in the former Yugoslavia and arrived in New York with nothing.
02
Failure as training
Each failed teenage venture taught him what founders need.
03
A platform built from those lessons
The company he later led was designed around those needs.
Where this fits in his story
2011
First platform launched
This feature
2018
Relaunched as a full platform
2023
Inc. 5000 debut at #418
2024
Climbs to #35
2026
Steps away to work on SDG 8 & 9
Where it led
Then, he got a second chance in a new country. Now, under SDG 8.5, he works on decent work and second chances for people rebuilding their lives. Fatherly, a publication about family, framed his story around what his parents gave up. That framing explains why he cares about systems that help families who start over.
Then
Then, he got a second chance in a new country.
Now
Now, he works on SDG 8.5, second chances and decent work for people rebuilding their lives.
See Robert's SDG 8 & 9 workQuestions
When did Fatherly feature Robert Nikic?
April 2, 2024.
What did Fatherly report?
That his family fled war in the former Yugoslavia, that his teenage ventures failed, and that those lessons shaped the platform he later built.
What does Robert Nikic do now?
He works on United Nations SDG 8 & 9, including second chances under SDG 8.5.
Original article
Read the original article · Published in Fatherly, April 2, 2024
Fatherly contributor
About Fatherly
Fatherly is a digital media brand focused on parenting and family life. Wikipedia
About Robert
Robert Nikic is an entrepreneur, TEDx speaker and Advisory Council Chair at Reseated Councils (United Nations SDG 8 & 9). He came to the United States as a refugee, and from 2011 to 2026 he built and led an e-commerce company that was twice named to the Inc. 5000. Today he works to make it easier for anyone, anywhere, to start a business and grow it.