Shark Tank is one of ABC’s most popular TV shows.
From the moment it premiered in Aug. 2009, the reality TV series became wildly successful.
It won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Structured Reality Program four times in a row from 2014 until 2017 and has consistently kept great ratings.
Its premise is perfect for relaxing binge watching.
Shark Tank features a panel of venture capitalists who listen to business pitches from entrepreneurs on a variety of products and services, from food companies to dating apps. The “sharks” then pick apart each pitch and decide whether they want to invest.
The Sharks
When the show made its debut in 2009, it started out with five sharks: Kevin Harrington, Daymond John, Barbara Corcoran, Robert Herjavec, and Kevin O’Leary. Kevin Harrington left after the first two seasons.
The casting then evolved, adding two other sharks: Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner.
Mark started out as a guest in season 2 and became a shark in season 3. Meanwhile, Lori made her first guest appearance in season 3 and turned into a series regular on the following season.
Mark is the biggest investor on the show.
According to Yahoo! Finance, he’s invested a hefty $61.5 million on Shark Tank endeavors and has struck the most deals on the show at 218.
His Shark Tank investments brought success to a number of brands.
During the fourth season, Mark invested in Tower Paddle Boards, providing $150,00 for a 30% stake. According to Inc., the company has made more than $30 million in sales as of 2018. Other successful Shark Tank-featured brands Mark has invested in that went on to make millions are Nuts ‘N More, Gameday Couture, and Simple Sugars.
His most successful Shark Tank investment was very tech-forward.
“The one that made me the most cash money was a company called Cycloramic [featured on a 2014 episode of Shark Tank] who did this technology stuff called computer vision,” he said to People Magazine in 2022. “And we sold it to Carvana. So if you go to Carvana’s website and you push around the cars and open the doors, that’s all their software.”
Unsurprisingly, he’s also the richest shark on Shark Tank.
His net worth is estimated to be a whopping $5.2 billion!
How Mark got his start
In his 20s, Mark launched his first software company, called MicroSolutions. It then sold in 1990 for $6 million. His following venture, Broadcast.com, was also successful. According to The Dallas Morning News, the company was acquired by Yahoo! in 1999 for $5.9 billion in Yahoo! stocks.
Currently, Mark is the owner of the Dallas Mavericks.
He bought the majority stake of the basketball team on January 4, 2000.
But, recently, Mark announced a big career update.
He revealed he won’t be returning on Shark Tank after season 16.
“This is our 15th year, and next year, our 16th year, is gonna be my last year,” he shared on the All the Smoke podcast.
Mark feels like “it’s time” for him to leave.
However, he is very proud of his Shark Tank legacy.
“I feel like in doing Shark Tank all these years, we’ve trained multiple generations of entrepreneurs that if somebody can come from Iowa or Sacramento or wherever, and show up on the carpet of Shark Tank and show their business and get a deal, it’s going to inspire generations of kids,”he told podcast hosts Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson.
He’s shocked by how many people have grown up watching the show.
“Now we’ve got people coming on saying I watched you when I was 10 years old. I’m like, f**k. But we’re helping them right? I’ve invested in, I don’t know how many hundreds of companies,” Mark added.
Mark also shared what he’s learned from being on the show for a decade.
“The longer the backstory, the worse the deal. Meaning, the minute you start telling me how hard it was for you? It’s hard for every motherf***ing entrepreneur,” he admitted.
He shared pointers on what makes him consider investing in a company.
“I don’t need to hear your backstory. Tell me about your business, tell me why you are going to be successful. Tell me what’s different about it. Tell me how you stand out,” he said. “I look for ideas [where I’m] like, ‘Damn, why didn’t I think of that?'”
The true reason why Mark’s leaving the show.
Last year, Mark appeared on the People Every Day podcast from People Magazine, and detailed why he was planning to leave the series at some point: “My daughter’s in college now … when they were all in high school, all their schedules aligned. And so it was really easy to do the show. But now, you know, family first, always. And so I wanted to try to make sure I spent as much time with my daughter as I can, and my family as I can.”
Mark’s decision to exit Shark Tank has nothing to do with how he feels about the series.
“It’s not cause I don’t love the show. I absolutely love the show,” he explained. “I love what it represents. I love that kids watch it. And now we have entrepreneurs coming on that started watching when they were 12, 13, 14 years old.”
Upon the news of his Shark Tank exit for season 17, Mark confirmed that his desire to spend more time with his kids informed his decision.
He told The Hollywood Reporter on Nov. 27, “I just want to have a couple summers with my teens before they go off on their own. Nothing to do with the show. I love it. I love being on it. I love what [it] represents and how it motivates entrepreneurs around the world.”
However, his departure from the show hasn’t been officially confirmed by ABC yet.
There’s still hope that the network can entice him to stay—but it looks like Mark’s standing firm in his decision.
Mark Cuban is a true family man.
He’s been married to wife Tiffany Stewart since 2002.
They have three children.
20-year-old daughter Alexis, 17-year-old daughter Alyssa, and 14-year-old son Jake.
Mark has a strict-yet-loving parenting style.
While appearing on Steve Harvey’s show in Feb. 2020, he shared his parenting philosophy: “I don’t want you to be entitled jerks. I want you to know what I had to go through, what my parents had to go through and you’re going to have to work for it.” He added, “You don’t just get a credit card. You get a job.”
Fans can now enjoy Mark’s second-to-last season on Shark Tank before he leaves the show to spend quality time with his family.
Season 15 is currently airing weekly on ABC. It ends on Dec. 15.
It’ll take a while for Mark’s final season to arrive.
Season 16 is expected to premiere in 2025.