Mark Cuban has seen a lot of ideas throughout his time on Shark Tank — and the success of one of his investments took him by surprise.
“Beatbox beverages,” Cuban, 65, exclusively told Us Weekly on Thursday, September 28, ahead of the season 15 premiere of Shark Tank. “So Beatbox beverages is kind of a wine cooler and now a spritzer as well. And [the founders] came on just a bunch of partying guys and one girl out of Austin. And I’m like, ‘OK, it’ll be fun.’”
On season 6 of the ABC series, which aired in 2015, Cuban was intrigued by the trio’s proposal and saw potential in their idea.
“I gave them a million dollars for a third of the company and now they’re worth over $200 million. They’ll do, hopefully, a hundred million dollars in sales this year. And they’re just killing it,” he reflected. “They’re taking over the spritzer category. I mean college kids everywhere just live on beatbox beverages. So it’s been amazing.”
While Cuban found success with Beatbox Beverages and other companies, there are some that slipped out of the investor’s fingers, including Spike Ball.
“I see my kids play [Spike Ball.] We have it in the garage and every time I see it in the garage it’s like, oh my goodness. Because [the founders] wanted me to be the chairman. No, the commissioner of a spike ball league,” he recalled to Us. “And I’m like, ‘I own an NBA team so the last thing I want to do is be commissioner of a spike ball league,’ but they were right. I was wrong.”
Cuban joined Shark Tank in 2011 as a guest shark in season 2 and never in his “wildest dreams” did he think the show would continue for 15 years. He had watched the show before signing on and was unimpressed with how the original sharks Daymond John, Barbara Corcoran, Robert Herjavec, Kevin O’Leary and Kevin Harrington conducted business.
“I had seen the show and I’m like, ‘They suck. I could come on and do a much better job,’” he quipped to Us. “And so when they had me come on first as the guest shark … I got there and I’m like, ‘OK, I’m just going to tear them up. I’m just going to raise hell.’ And then I’ve been there ever since.”
While Cuban and the other sharks can get ruthless in the boardroom, the Dallas Mavericks owner has a soft spot for the bussing business people they encounter on the series.
“The idea that we’re encouraging and educating entrepreneurs … to start a company and giving them that little push. That’s amazing,” he shared with Us. “And seeing people come on now and pitching us that watch the show when they were kids makes us feel old, but at the same time, it’s great to see.”
Season 15 of Shark Tank premieres on ABC on Friday, September 29, at 8:00 PM ET.
