Shaquille O’Neal Invested In Beverage Brand BeatBox After A Call From Mark Cuban — Whatever ‘Mark Is Investing In, I’m Investing In’
Shaquille O’Neal is paying close attention to Mark Cuban’s investment moves.
Respectively, both are serial investors. Cuban’s portfolio includes Richualist, maker of The Mint hair tool. Created by Founder Dawn Myers, the company secured a $150,000 joint investment from Cuban and fellow “Shark” judge Emma Grede in 2024. The investors offered the amount up in exchange for 15% stake in the company and 5% stake through advisory shares, as AFROTECH™ previously told you. In January 2025, Cuban doubled down on an investment in Beanstack, a Black-led edtech company, participating in a $1.5 million seed round led by Riverside Acceleration Capital and Evoce Capital, per a press release. He also is the a minority owner of the Dallas Mavericks, after selling his majority stake in December 2023, per The New York Times.
One of Cuban’s earliest deals, in particular, caught the attention of O’Neal, which was Broadcast.com, launched originally as AudioNet. According to CNBC, the platform, established in 1995, was one of the earliest streaming platforms, and it was acquired four years later by Yahoo for $5.7 billion in stock.
“Whenever Mark is investing in, I’m investing in,” O’Neal said of Cuban, as People mentions.“Mark could say, ‘Hey, I got a toilet tissue brand coming out.’ I’m doing it. He’s been very successful since he sold [Broadcast.com].”
O’Neal did invest in BeatBox — a ready-to-drink alcoholic beverage company — which secured one of the largest investment deal in the history of “Shark Tank” when Cuban invested $1 million for a third of the company, according to Forbes. In March 2025, O’Neal and BeatBox launched a blueberry lemonade flavor (11.1% ABV) nationwide at Spec’s, Total Wine & More, numerous grocery chains, and others.
“Shaquille O’Neal’s energy is unmatched and perfectly aligns with BeatBox’s vibrant spirit,” Zech Francis, SVP global brand marketing at BeatBox, said in a news release. “He’s not just an icon — he’s a powerhouse entrepreneur and entertainer with incredible influence and a deep connection to fans. This collaboration is set to drive major sales growth, further cementing BeatBox as a dominant force in the RTD category.”
It was also Cuban who directly called O’Neal to suggest investing in the company.
“I’ve always learned that in order to be great, you have to have conversations with other great people,” O’Neal told People.
