Aaron W. Hirschhorn, start-up entrepreneur, active family man, and dog lover, dies at 42

Aaron W. Hirschhorn, 42, a Philadelphia native who launched a successful entrepreneurial career after a bad experience kenneling his dogs, died Sunday, March 28, in a boating accident in Miami.

Mr. Hirschhorn was riding a motorized hydrofoil board at 1 p.m. in Biscayne Bay when he was involved in a collision with a motorboat and died at the scene, his family said. The Miami-Dade County medical examiner listed the cause of death as an accidental crash.

Mr. Hirschhorn had been living in Miami Beach for about three years with his wife, Karine Nissim Hirschhorn, and their three young children. They lived in Santa Monica, Calif., for about eight years before that.

Mr. Hirschhorn attended Central High School in Philadelphia, and earned a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from Swarthmore College and a master’s degree in business administration from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. He never got his high school diploma from Central because he went straight to Swarthmore after his junior year.

Organized and practical his whole life, Mr. Hirschhorn worked for a couple of Los Angeles-based venture capital firms, created several of his own start-ups, and served as a board member for other companies, and as a venture partner in a firm that funds technologies in life sciences and health care.

A dog lover, his big business break came in 2012 when he and his wife founded DogVacay, an online service that matches dog owners with people willing to care for their pets when the family is away. They were inspired to create the company after their own dog, a goldendoodle named Rocky, seemed anxious and out of sorts after a stay at a kennel.

Five years later, after experiencing huge growth, they merged DogVacay with Rover.com in 2017, moved to Miami Beach, and founded Gallant in 2018. Gallant helps pet owners collect and store stem cells from tissue that is usually discarded during a pet’s spay or neuter operation. The cells can then be used later as regenerative agents in medical procedures.

Mr. Hirschhorn showed his skill to attract investors to Gallant and touch their hearts in 2019 when he appeared on the TV show Shark Tank. An angel investor himself, he brought a basket of puppies to the set and had the investors cuddle them while he gave his pitch. They offered him $500,000.

“He was good at so many things,” said his younger brother, Dan, the senior politics editor at The Inquirer. “He made it look easy. He died at the top of his game, and he was going to go higher.”

Mr. Hirschhorn had a knack for family life, too. His Facebook page is filled with photos of his wife, sons August and Joel; daughter, Elle; and their dogs. Judging by those photos, if anyone in the family needed a lap to crawl onto — kid or canine — his was always available.

“We were a force together,” his wife said. “Family first, then business. It was a beautiful life we built.”

He taught the kids how to ride their bikes, and he always made time to play football and basketball in the park. When they recently got a new puppy, Lollipop, he showed the kids how to love and take care of the newest family member.

“He was so steady,” his brother said. “He was unflappable in business and life.”

Born in Philadelphia on April 30, 1978, Mr. Hirschhorn liked to travel, swim, kite-surf, and play tennis. He was skilled at jujitsu, and, as a younger man, appeared on the TV show Wheel of Fortune, and hawked a client’s wares on QVC.

“He was very ambitious with a tremendous drive,” said his father, Larry. “He expressed himself through his physicality.”

Mr. Hirschhorn was drawn to competition in school and sports, and worked hard to succeed. One time, when the power went out, he completed his homework by candlelight. He appeared in The Inquirer in a 1995 story about high school coed sleepovers (he was in favor of them), and remained a fan of the Eagles and 76ers even after he left the area for California in 1999.

In 2019, Mr. Hirschhorn spoke with Philadelphia Weekly about his success and Philadelphia roots.

“Philadelphia is all about being real,” he said. “Growing up in Center City and going to high school at Central High taught me that if you want something, you have to make it happen yourself. No one is going to do anything for you.”

In addition to his wife, children, parents, and brother, Mr. Hirschhorn is survived by other relatives.

The funeral was Wednesday, March 31, in Miami.