Mark Cuban has a track record of making bold business bets with limited information.
He once bought a $25 million Dallas mansion sight unseen, calling it his one “why the f–k not purchase.” But one of his most lucrative gambles started even more casually: with a cold email from a stranger he says he’s still never met.
Speaking in a September 2024 interview with podcaster and comedian Theo Von, Cuban recounted how a young entrepreneur named Tim Ellis—who was also an ex-intern at Blue Origin (Jeff Bezos’ space company) — and his friends emailed him from Dallas, saying they wanted to start a space company. Cuban admitted he had no relevant expertise, but wanted to give them a shot anyway.
“I don’t know shit about space, but I’ll get you started and see what happens,” Cuban recalled telling them.
That company was Relativity Space. Cuban said the entire relationship played out over email, and he’s still never met Ellis in person.
