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A new Shark is prowling the tank. Daniel Lubetzky, serial entrepreneur, investor, and founder is officially joining ABC's Shark Tank full-time for the show's 16th season, which premieres on ABC on October 18, 2024.

Lubetzky is best known for founding the snack company Kind in 2004. Kind claimed the No. 889 spot on the Inc. 5000 list in 2012, and in 2020, Lubetzky sold his majority stake in the company to Mars for $5 billion.

Since season 11, Lubetzky has appeared on Shark Tank as a guest investor. Ahead of the new season's premiere, I spoke with Lubetzky and the founders of companies he has invested in about what he'll bring to Shark Tank as an investor, the red and green flags he looks for in founders and their businesses, his role as an investor, and what it means to be an idea guy.

"I'm a very candid, straight shooter. I never hold back, but I do it in a kind way," Lubetzky says of his style, noting that feedback is a gift and should be delivered in a way that helps founders grow. You probably won't hear him calling people cockroaches, as his fellow Shark Kevin O'Leary--aka Mr. Wonderful--does.

So what might Lubetzky call founders out for?........

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