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As of today, Shark Tank is in its season 16, which premiered on October 18, 2024, and continues to air new episodes on ABC. The show continues to feature entrepreneurs pitching their ideas to the Sharks, who evaluate and negotiate deals.
Beyond their roles on the show, the investors have shared insights into their personal and professional journeys, revealing notable facts that shaped their careers. These details highlight how they built their businesses and the strategies they used to achieve success.
Lesser-known facts about the investors of Shark Tank
1) Kevin O’Leary's name as ‘Mr. Wonderful’
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Kevin O’Leary received his well-known nickname during the first season of Shark Tank. He explained to Boston Magazine on October 10, 2013 that the name originated when he made an aggressive business offer.
“In season one, someone was trying to sell a publishing deal to us for music and I proposed an aggressive 51 percent equity position because I wanted control of the business. And Barbara [Corcoran] said, ‘Well, aren’t you Mr. Wonderful?’ and I said, ‘You know what Barbara, I am!’” he said.
Over time, the nickname became widely recognized, with O’Leary noting,
“Now it’s at a whole new level. I show up at hotels and my reservation is under the name Mr. Wonderful. They don’t even know my real name. That’s just nuts.”
2) Mark Cuban started a tech business without having a computer
Mark Cuban launched his first business after being fired from his job at Your Business Software. In an interview with Forbes on March 28, 2013, he explained,
“I started a company called Micro-Solutions. I was a PC consultant, and I sold software and did training and configured computers. I wrote my own programs. I immersed myself in the PC industry and studied Microsoft and Lotus and watched what the smartest people did to make things work.”
His company generated significant revenue, reaching $30 million annually by 1990. When he sold the company to CompuServe, he earned millions.
3) Lori Greiner developed over 400 products
Lori Greiner developed her first invention, a plastic earring organizer, in 1996. She shared on The Ellen Show on September 18, 2021 how she came up with the idea for her first product, an earring organizer, during an unexpected moment.
“Very first product was an earring organizer. It held a hundred pair of pierced clip earrings. And I was laying on a massage table my friend pam. [She] was a massage therapist and she's talking about jewelry and there's no good way to store your jewelry. It like hit me like a thunderbolt i saw my product," she said.
The product was successful, selling 2,500 units in just two minutes during a television appearance. The Shark Tank investor has since obtained more than 120 U.S. and international patents and has created hundreds of products.
4) Daymond John launched FUBU while employed at Red Lobster
Daymond John established his urban clothing brand, FUBU, in 1989. He identified a gap in the market for apparel catering to inner-city youth. He recalled in an interview with Tim Ferriss on April 7, 2011,
“Even though I had placed our product in the hottest music videos out there, I was still working full-time at Red Lobster. To the public, FUBU was a huge company. Little did they know that I was still serving them shrimp and biscuits.”
The company started with a small budget, but by 1998, sales had reached $350 million.
5) Barbara Corcoran turned a $1,000 investment into a Real Estate empire
Barbara Corcoran founded The Corcoran Group in 1973 with minimal capital. She met builder Ray Simone while waitressing and later moved to New York City with him. Simone provided her with $1,000 in exchange for a 51 percent stake in the business. She stated in Fortune magazine on May 23, 2013,
“As we divided the company in 1978, he said, ‘You’ll never succeed without me.’”
Corcoran continued to grow the business, eventually selling it in 2001 for $70 million. Today, the company is valued at $5 billion.
7) Robert Herjavec was part of Dragons’ Den before joining Shark Tank
Robert Herjavec was part of Dragons’ Den in Canada before joining Shark Tank. In an October 16, 2014, published article, he described the appeal of the show to Business Insider, stating,
“It’s the American Dream. It’s the desire to better one’s position in life, and who doesn’t have that desire? I think when people watch the show, they always think, ‘That could be me,’ and it really could.”
He emphasized that Shark Tank allows anyone with a strong idea to secure investment and build a successful business.
8) Daniel Lubetzky’s passion for magic and mentalism
Daniel Lubetzky discussed his passion for magic during an interview on Masters of Scale on December 1, 2020. He developed an interest in magic at the age of eight after learning tricks from his father. He recalled,
“I9t was one very strong bonding occasion for my dad and I.”
While studying abroad in college, he funded his travels by performing magic on the streets of Paris and Romania. The Shark Tank investor has also taken an interest in mentalism over the past decade, which has occasionally influenced his business interactions.
Catch Shark Tank Fridays at 8 PM ET on ABC, or watch anytime on Hulu.
