Richard Branson, 74, and Mark Cuban, 66, got into a fiery debate on a 2017 episode of ABC’s “Shark Tank” that left both billionaires soaking wet. Simple Habit meditation app founder Yunha Kim appeared on the reality TV show at the time. She was looking to secure a $600,000 investment into h er company, valued at $12 million, in exchange for 5% equity. Cuban was not impressed with Kim’s offer, particularly because she already had $2.3 million from prior investments. The current Dallas Mavericks minority owner questioned Kim’s motivations for being on “Shark Tank.” Richard Branson doused ‘Shark Tank’ investor Mark Cuban with water after calling an app entrepreneur a gold digger. (Screenshot: Shark Tank Global / YouTube) “I’m so out! You want us to pay you and not be compensated, basically, for our brand,” Cuban exclaimed after Kim mentioned setting up partnerships with celebrities and influencers to back her business. Branson jumped in to say, “She’s going to get exposure for being on this program,” which caused Cuban to fire back, “That’s what she is. She’s a gold digger.” “Did you just call me a gold digger?” Kim asked the 2929 Entertainment co-founder. Cuban confidently responded, “Yes.”  He later insisted his “gold digger” comment was not meant to be a personal dig, adding, “It was more about you coming here, not really wanting a deal, but looking to get the commercial.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Richard Branson (@richardbranson) That contentious exchange eventually caused Branson to threaten to throw water on Cuban and fellow ‘Shark Tank” star Daymond John over their rejection of Kim’s pitch. Once Cuban shut down Branson’s attempt to offer a $300,000 investment for 10% equity, the Virgin Group owner tossed a glass of water on Cuban, to the shock of the other investors and Kim. Cuban returned the favor by launching a water attack against Branson. Following the liquid tossing, the segment continued with “Shark Tank” investor Robert Herjavec also proposing $300,000 for 20% equity in order for Kim to hit her $600,000 goal. Ultimately, Kim rejected Branson and Herjavec’s final counteroffer. Following her walking off the set, the teary-eyed entrepreneur confessed to the camera, “Gold digger felt a little harsh to me.” The Shark Tank Global YouTube channel published Kim’s 2017 appearance on the show in July 2022. As of this writing, the video has more than 4.9 million views and 8,800 comments. For example, someone on the video-sharing platform expressed, “My jaw DROPPED when Richard threw the water at Mark. The tension in this episode was real.” “They really did her a favor with their behavior. They guaranteed the clip would go viral, thus giving her maximum exposure, which is what she wanted,” one commenter suggested. A third individual posted, “The fact that she actually declined 15%, getting two sharks, just confirms that she was there only for exposure. That deal would’ve been perfect for her. Mark was 100% right.” “How did a pitch for a meditation company end up with some of the most aggressive, violent and crazy reactions?” a fourth person asked. Branson was also called out when a commenter wrote, “Mark is right. It’s a business tactic. She’s no dummy. And throwing water during a business pitch, televised or not, is beyond unprofessional.” Kim being part of that viral “Shark Tank” moment had a tremendous impact on her venture.  According to Looper, Simple Habit amassed 75,000 downloads on the night the episode aired and totaled 1 million downloads by November of that year. If you need help sleeping better, Sleep Reset will provide you with all the support and tools you need to fall asleep faster, sleep throughout the night, and wake up feeling well-rested. https://t.co/0LR5IYI5pJ @SleepReset#sleep #sleephealth #insomnia #mentalhealth pic.twitter.com/F4WncKP3Wj— Simple Habit (@simplehabitapp) January 25, 2023 The wellness marketplace company Ingenio purchased Simple Habit for an undisclosed amount in March 2023. Kim went on to start Sleep Reset, a subscription-based app for tackling insomnia. “In the nine months since we came out of beta, we’ve more than doubled our subscriber base and our revenue,” Kim said about Sleep Reset in a March 2023 interview with TechCrunch. That same month saw Kim provide a quote to The Business Journals about her time facing the “Shark Tank” investors and Cuban labeling her a “gold digger” in front of the entire world. “If you watch the episode, you’ll see it on my face — being called a gold digger, something I’ve never been called before, was shocking,” Kim stated. “I’d guess Mark had never called a male entrepreneur a gold digger.” The San Fransico native continued, “In retrospect, part of me wishes that I’d responded by calling out the inappropriateness of the term, while part of me still thinks it wasn’t worth responding to.” ‘Beyond Unprofessional’: Tensions Rise on ‘Shark Tank’ as Mark Cuban Gets Water Thrown In His Face by Richard Branson Over ‘Gold Digger’ Comment ...read more read less