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'Shark Tank' Season 12: Who is new shark Blake Mycoskie? Fans say 'he seems like a badass'

TOMS Shoes founder Blake Mycoskie's inspiring backstory left fans feeling impressed with the new shark's incredible journey

Every season we are introduced to new guest sharks on 'Shark Tank. Season 12 is no different, as the premiere episode of the season featured none other than TOMS Shoes founder-Blake Mycoskie. Blake was accompanied in the tank by returning sharks- Lori Greiner, Kevin O'Leary, Mark Cuban and Daymond John. Although Blake appeared in just one episode of the hit entrepreneurial-reality show, fans are already smitten by him and can't stop talking about him.

Blake came in on 'Shark Tank' with rich experience in entrepreneurship and after accomplishing quite a bit in his own business ventures, Blake was looking forward to give back and decided to invest in some good budding business ventures. Before the showrunners gave us a proper introduction to Blake and his several enviable accomplishments, we saw snippets of traits of his that made him such a great businessman in the initial few minutes of the show. 

When a father and son duo walked into the tank to pitch their product, Blake was all ears. He carefully listened to the pitch and asked insightful questions. While the sharks in the tank (especially Kevin) often negotiate really hard with the contestants about the amount to be invested and the percentage of equity they'll be getting in the company, Blake came across as someone who is pretty generous. Carson and his father were seeking an investment of $150K for 10% equity in their company- Touch Up Cup. But Blake was so impressed by Carson's knowledge and presentation skills that he jumped at the opportunity of doing business with the brilliant young man. So, without a moment of hesitation, the TOMS founder immediately placed an offer of $200K for 25% equity.

Blake's extremely generous offer forced the remaining sharks to increase the amount they were willing to invest and lower their equity percentage to compete with the new shark. Eventually, Blake managed to lure Carson with his incredible offer and got the deal. Later, Blake could be heard commenting on how raising funds and capital isn't the end all but rather the beginning and shouldn't be glorified as much. 

After watching the new sharks' interesting and fresh perspective, the audience was introduced to the TOMS founder. Blake began playing tennis from a very early age, but an injury that he sustained while playing forced him to quit the sport. He then began his business of providing laundry service to students on University campuses. It quickly became a successful business venture and he had to hire 40 employees to help him run it. He eventually sold the business and dabbled in several other business ventures. By the age of 29, he had already set up four businesses and sold them all successfully. 

While Blake was basking in his success, he took a vacation to Argentina that changed his life forever. During his vacation, he witnessed the impact of poverty first hand. He was shocked to see how the children were walking around barefoot and its effects on their health. So, when Blake returned to the US, he decided to do something about it. He set up a shoe company called TOMS, which pledged to donate a pair of shoes for every shoe purchased. Blake was one of the earliest practitioners of one for one model, which is extremely popular among social entrepreneurs. TOMS Shoes unique business model worked well and that resulted in the company donating over 96,000,000 pairs of shoes to the needy.

In 2014, Blake sold 50% of his stake in TOMS Shoes and set up another wellness and lifestyle company called Made For, which focuses on encouraging individuals to inculcate positive behavioral habits. After watching Blake's business acumen and hearing about his inspiring backstory, fans couldn't get enough of him. A fan tweeted, "Awesome seeing @BlakeMycoskie on #SharkTank! True sharks like @kevinolearytv NEED to be on every show but so entertaining and insightful for someone like Blake to guest appear and shark it out." "I love these profile videos where we get to learn more about the guest sharks!! @BlakeMycoskie’s story is awesome and he seems like a bada**. @TOMS #TomsShoes #Toms @getMadeFor #MadeFor @ABCSharkTank #SharkTank," wrote a fan. "I’ve never heard of @BlakeMycoskie but I love his @TOMS shows. He’s very impressive. @ABCSharkTank #SharkTank," declared a fan.

'Shark Tank' Season 12 airs every Friday at 8/7c only on ABC.