This Recurring Shark Has More to Him Than Meets the Eye
Updated April 23 2021, 9:04 p.m. ET
Recurring Shark Daniel Lebutzky is more than qualified to hold his seat at the table on Shark Tank. While many of us may not recognize him, he’s the founder and CEO of KIND (yes, as in KIND Bars), so his business has truly infiltrated our everyday lives. Daniel is definitely a real-life Shark.
However, knowing that Daniel on Shark Tank is the founder and CEO of KIND is just scratching the surface of who he is. He’s founded several businesses and organizations while having an extremely unique background as both an immigrant from Mexico and the son of a Holocaust survivor. Daniel definitely has more than meets the eye.
Daniel Lubetzky on ‘Shark Tank’ always knew he wanted to change the world.
Daniel’s unique background poised him for a life of wanting to make the world a better place. Daniel was born in Mexico City in 1968, but his father made it out of the Dachau, Germany concentration camp when he was just 9 years old during the Holocaust.
Because of this, he told the Financial Times (via Heavy): “I am compelled to try to build bridges to prevent what happened to my father from happening again. It’s what drives me to try to build relationships, to not have enemies, and be kind to everybody. In a place where there is no humanity, strive thou to be human.”
His family moved to the United States when he was a teen, and he ended his academic career with a law degree from Stanford when he was just 25 years old, hoping to foster peace in the Middle East. From there, Daniel’s motivation led him to found PeaceWorks, an organization that supports cooperation mainly between Israeli and Palestinian businesses. Daniel used his marketing and economic skills to find a way to achieve his mission.
Daniel Lubetzky has an estimated net worth of $1.5 billion due to the success of KIND.
Daniel founded KIND in 2004 with the value proposition to be “KIND to your body, your taste buds, and your world,” and according to CBS News, it’s the fastest-growing energy bar brand. However, when he started KIND, no one else could have guessed it was going to be the multi-million-dollar brand it is now.
Daniel told CBS, “I had a gut feeling that this product was magical and delicious. But I didn't think that it would be what it became. I would walk up and down the streets of New York and go store by store, and try to show our products and try to convince people that this was going to be a great product.”
He grew KIND into the Shark-worthy business it is today through his years of education and grit. This led him to even more opportunities, creating several organizations that combine some sort of mission of peace or betterment with profit.
KIND was just bought by Mars in a $5 billion deal, and although Daniel is holding onto his stake in the company, he now has time to focus on his other projects. With his billion-dollar net worth, Daniel has donated millions to fund public health and peace efforts in the Middle East.
Somehow, Daniel Lubetzky has had time to raise a family as well.
Daniel married Michelle Lieberman in 2008, and the two have four children together that they’re raising in Texas. Not only is Daniel a family man, but he’s also not the only famous member of his family! His cousin, Emmanuel Lubezki, is the only cinematographer to win three consecutive Oscars for Gravity, Birdman, and The Revenant.
Watch new episodes of Shark Tank Fridays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.
