Mark Cuban told startup founders at the October 2025 Clover x Shark Tank Summit to delay fundraising, stressing that self-funding builds stronger, more valuable companies.

At the October 2025 Clover x Shark Tank Summit, billionaire investor Mark Cuban urged startup founders to delay seeking external funding, stressing that prolonged self-funding through sweat equity and customer-driven revenue increases a company’s long-term value. He emphasized that building a business with minimal outside investment fosters discipline, deepens customer understanding, and preserves founder control, while early fundraising can lead to premature scaling, equity loss, and pressure for quick returns. Cuban advocated for prioritizing revenue generation, product-market fit, and operational efficiency before pursuing capital, arguing that founders who prove their business model first are better positioned for sustainable success and greater financial reward.