American billionaire businessman and investor Mark Cuban is known as the owner of the NBA Basketball team the Dallas Mavericks, co-owner of 2929 Entertainment and chairman of AXS TV. Widely recognised as one of the most ferocious “sharks”, or investors, on ABC reality series Shark Tank, Cuban is nonetheless a genial presence that brings levity and humour to the show.

As a prosperous venture capitalist with countless successful businesses under his direction, Cuban’s success in a wide variety of industries proves that he most definitely has the Midas touch.

Cuban’s entrepreneurial nature was evident from a young age: the story goes that he was selling garbage bags at age 12 to buy a new pair of sneakers. Going on to find success in several business ventures during college, he received a degree in management from Kelly Business School, moving on to work as a salesperson at one of the earliest PC retailers before forming his own company MicroSolutions and riding the dot-com boom to billionaire status. In his long and successful career, Cuban gained experience across a range of industries, giving him the breadth of expertise that now underpins his work as an investor and venture capitalist.

Cuban has since authored a book on the secrets behind his success. How to Win at the Sport of Business has inspired countless entrepreneurs with a powerful message, “if I can do it, you can do it too”. A committed philanthropist, he regularly donates to the Fallen Patriot Fund, aiding families of deceased military personnel, while co-running his own personal foundation alongside his brother, Brian Cuban.