Daniel Lubetzky

Daniel Lubetzky founded KIND Snacks and basically created the “you can see the whole nuts and fruits through the wrapper” snack bar category. Before KIND came along, most snack bars were either candy bars pretending to be healthy or health bars that tasted like cardboard. KIND found the middle ground and it worked incredibly well.

Lubetzky was born in Mexico City. His father was a Holocaust survivor, which has deeply influenced how Daniel thinks about business and social impact. He went to Trinity University in San Antonio and then Stanford Law School. After that he tried several ventures, including a company called PeaceWorks that sold products made through cooperation between people in conflict regions. The guy has always been interested in using business as a force for something beyond just making money.

He founded KIND in 2004 and grew it into one of the most successful snack brands in the country. The bars are everywhere now. He wrote a book called “Do the KIND Thing” about building a business with purpose, and he eventually sold a majority stake to Mars for a deal that valued the company at around $5 billion.

On Shark Tank, Daniel became a regular guest and eventually joined the main cast. He’s one of the more thoughtful sharks on the panel. He asks about mission, he cares about whether the founder is a good person, and he’s genuinely interested in businesses that do something positive in the world. But he’s also a sharp businessman who built a multi-billion dollar brand, so don’t mistake the kindness for softness.

A few key things:

• Founded KIND Snacks, grew it into a brand valued at roughly $5 billion
• Son of a Holocaust survivor, motivated by social impact
• Author of “Do the KIND Thing”
• One of the more mission-driven sharks on the Shark Tank panel