Shark Tank's Mark Cuban Leaves the Show After His $33M Investments Grow 750% in 15 Years

Billionaire investor Mark Cuban made one of the most popular trades during the dot-com crash, netting billions of dollars by selling his company to Yahoo. In tandem with learning new technologies and building new companies from scratch, Cuban gradually transitioned to the role of an active investor in businesses with long-term growth prospects and mentoring a new generation of budding entrepreneurs.

The world got a glimpse of his investment philosophy and business acumen at ABC's Shark Tank business reality show. Cuban's 15-year stint on the show ended recently, and he departed with a healthy portfolio.

Cuban told CNBC he invested around £24.37 million ($33 million) in businesses that pitched on Shark Tank over the years, and his mark-to-market equity from those ventures is currently worth at least £184.63 million ($250 million), a growth of over 750%. Although he had his fair share of hits and misses at Shark Tank, Cuban estimated he had received approximately £25.84 million ($35 million) in cash returns.

'I'm f—ing crushing it on the market,' Cuban had told Fortune earlier this year, referring to the total market value of the companies he's invested in since joining Shark Tank in 2011.

Although Shark Tank Insights estimated that Cuban committed over £45.05 million ($61 million) across 200 deals on screen, they are subject to closing conditions, and not all deals go through.

Interestingly, Cuban highlighted that his primary goal on Shark Tank wasn't just making money. He wanted to help entrepreneurs with the potential for success.

'I don't do the show to get the best investments,' he wrote on X in 2022. 'And I don't always invest because I think I'll make money. Sometimes my deals are purely to help [an entrepreneur] or send a message.'

During that time, Cuban noted that he had taken a net loss on a cash basis from his Shark Tank investments before accounting for the active stakes' value. At present, Cuban said he is leaving the show with investments ahead in terms of both cash and mark-to-market.

Cuban uses the mark-to-market accounting term to establish the overall value of his investments based on how the market value of those companies has increased since he first invested.

'What really gets me going is when people have an operating business where they've already gone for it. And they've invested everything,' Cuban told TV Tango more than a decade ago. 'They've put their heart, their soul, their time, everything that they have available to them into the business. And they've laid it on the line. And they just need a little bit of help.'

One of Cuban's notable Shark Tank investments was Dino Don, which specialises in animatronic dinosaurs. In 2021, Cuban invested £369,275 ($500,000) in exchange for a 25% stake in the company. Cuban had planned to transform a small town he bought in Texas into a Jurassic Park-themed location with life-sized robotic dinosaurs.

Dino Don established a reputation for organising exhibitions in museums, zoos, and public gardens, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors at once. Cuban forecast that the business could generate £7.38 million ($10 million) in revenue annually. Even during the COVID pandemic, Dino Don engaged with over five million visitors globally.