Mark Cuban Predicts Exciting Deal, Reflects on Legacy in His Final Bow (Exclusive)

On Friday (October 18), Shark Tank returns for its 16th season on ABC, and as Marcos Cubano ends his storied tenure as Shark, he’s going out with a bang — namely, a product he’s particularly excited about.

“This season, I had a deal and I wish I could give you all the details, but I think it literally has a chance to be the toy of the summer,” Cuban told TV Insider. “It uses (children’s) minds, dexterity, creativity – it takes something you can’t wait to get rid of and uses it in a play situation. So it’s going to be great.”

For Cuban, the product available in any field is the first priority. “I want to see a product that makes me say, ‘Why didn’t I think of that?’ Because then my mind starts thinking of ways to sell it or make it profitable,” he explained. “Then, from there, I look for someone who is curious and agile and who can sell because, again, you’re going to learn new things and things aren’t going to go the way you want… And there’s no company that has survived in the history of companies without sales.”

In fact, Cuban can point to a number of successful sales stories that emerged during his time on the show, but one, in particular, holds a special place in his heart (and his wallet): “The one that really changed everything for me in terms of understanding the power of social media has been around for over a decade at Wicked Good Cupcakes. Tracey and Dani, a mother and daughter duo, were the first to post their arguments on Twitter, which is the only thing that actually got 30 seconds of video before Facebook, and it went viral,” he recalled. “They were the Kardashians of cupcakes and received hundreds of thousands of orders that we couldn’t even fill the night we went on air. There wasn’t enough commercial kitchen capacity in Massachusetts… That was the beginning of my understanding the power of Shark Tank.”

He also lists Dude Wipes, Twist It Up Combs, and BeatBox Beverages as some of his favorite businesses to flourish, and not just because the first of them is marketed with endless “poop jokes.” They also make hundreds of millions of dollars a year in sales.

“I am proud of the fact that we have inspired multiple generations of entrepreneurs. We all have the experience of walking down the street or meeting someone and hearing the story of how ‘I watch Shark Tankand it inspired me to start a business’… It’s the only television show that we all watched together or even streamed together,” Cuban said of his legacy before his final season on the show. “Now that makes me proud. And the show will be fine without me, it will continue for years. But I love the fact that we’ve inspired entrepreneurs to go out and follow their dreams and who knows how many thousands of companies or more out there that actually started because someone was watching Shark Tank and saying, ‘If that person on the carpet can do it, so can I.

Stay tuned for more TV Insider exclusive interviews with the hosts of Shark Tank on Friday.

Shark TankSeason 16 Premiere, Friday, October 18, 8/7c, ABC