Mark Cuban 'Still Gets Juiced Up' by 'Shark Tank' Entrepreneurs, And So Do the Rest of the Sharks

With all the inventors and entrepreneurs that have walked through the Shark Tank doors over the last 10 seasons, you'd think Mark Cuban has heard every pitch in the book, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. Cuban, who serves as the main shark on the long-running ABC show, said he finds himself even more amazed by contestants and their businesses as the years go by.

"I get juiced up and excited all the time," Cuban told Newsweek at the 2018 PaleyFest: Shark Tank red carpet on Sunday. "That idea that this is the best we have and this is the best it's gonna be? No. I get jazzed up by all these new things people are coming up with."

While ideas surrounding artificial technology—particularly companies using tech to enhance the medical field—appeal to Cuban's business investor nature the most, the 60-year-old said there were a variety of pitches presented on Shark Tank Season 10 that he wished he would have thought of.

"We have one this season that [deals] with all the hurricanes, tornados and crazy weather. I can't give too much away but the [entrepreneur] invented something that anybody can use that allows them to be safe, and I was like, 'Why didn't I think of that?' There's always something that surprises me," he said. "You don't realize that there are 50,000 different businesses that apply to be on this show. Producers have got it down to a science now, so they know how to pick some really good ones."

Cuban's fellow shark, Kevin O'Leary, was most astounded by how well-developed businesses were before owners even approached the show. When Shark Tank first premiered in 2009, the investors heard an onslaught of wonky proposals and crazy pitches from aspiring business owners who didn't exactly have a plan, but now contestants are coming on the show with fully thought-out ideas and sophisticated blueprints of how to reach their goals.

"One of the reasons the show has such longevity is because we don't know what's coming through that door next. It continues to be diverse and really incredibly interesting ideas," O'Leary said. "This year the deals were very big. In the old days, $250,000 was a lot. Now $2 million is average. So the deals are getting really interesting in terms of how big they are. I love that the companies are already mature. They're selling already."

Young aspiring business owners are also keeping the sharks on their toes with philanthropic products and pitches that are aimed at more than just putting money in their pockets. "Millennials, Gen Z, whatever it may be, I love it because they have a little more of a social conscious than some of the old school guys. They come in and there's a bigger purpose to what they're trying to do and I think that's important," Cuban said.

"With consumers going forward, they're not just buying for the best price or the biggest name brand, they want somebody that they can connect with emotionally, that represents what they believe in. And some of us old folks are starting to feel that way too," he continued.

As for everything fans will see during Season 10, Cuban wouldn't go into too much detail but said viewers should expect one "big, intense and wild" season.