"If I would've given him 250 grands"- When Shark Tank's Mark Cuban opened up about rejecting 'Uber' 

Shark Tank investor and billionaire Mark Cuban possesses a keen eye for filtering the best of ideas and opportunities. But who would believe that the genius businessman once missed a golden opportunity in front of him? Well, it is one of those stories where the Mavericks owner could not gauge the potential of a now multibillion-dollar company, Uber.

In 2009, Uber's co-founder Travis Kalanick approached Mark Cuban for a deal. He asked for $250k for a 2.5% stake at a valuation of $10 million. Mark believed Travis was quoting an unreasonable valuation, so he countered with an offer at a $5 million valuation. Cuban did not hear from Travis Kalanick after that and so the deal did not work out.

Joining Kevin Hart, who had also rejected to invest in Uber during its initial days, Cuban chimed in about what a painstaking loss it was. On July 21, 2023, Shark Tank investor appeared on actor, Kevin Hart's show Hart to Heart and opened up about saying no to Travis Kalanick's offer. He mentioned that he loved the idea of Uber as a company but could not digest the $10 million valuation.

If I would've given him--250 grands on a 5 million or $10 million valuation, it'd be billions. I mean, I've done okay, okay. But still."

Kevin Hart, too, received an offer from Troy Carter, a guest investor in Season 7 of Shark Tank, to invest in Uber during its initial days. However, Hart explained that he found the idea of sharing a cab with a stranger similar to that of Murderville.

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Shark Tank investor Mark Cuban chimed in about never hearing back from Uber co-founder, Travis Kalanick

Shark Tank investor Mark Cuban negotiated with Uber co-founder and ended up losing the deal.

Now, the world knows about Uber, and the idea has reached every nook and corner of the world, where people prefer to take a ride home, rather than driving themselves. When Mark Cuban joined Kevin Hart, who had a similar story to share, the two joked about the missed opportunity.

Mark said that he told Travis about the challenges of operating the business. Sharing what he said to the Uber co-founder, Cuban said:

"I'm like, you're going to have to spend a lot more on marketing and dealing with all the taxicab commissions that are going to try to put you out of business. And so that's the challenge that I see for you guys. And he was like, You're right, I never heard back."

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Shark Tank Season 16 is available to watch on ABC.