Entertainment

‘Shark’ without bite

ALL BUSINESS: Kevin O’Leary (above with Lori Greiner) has established himself as the mean guy on “Shark Tank.”

ALL BUSINESS: Kevin O’Leary (above with Lori Greiner) has established himself as the mean guy on “Shark Tank.” (ABC)

ALL BUSINESS: Kevin O’Leary (above with Lori Greiner) has established himself as the mean guy on “Shark Tank.” (ABC)

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Kevin O’Leary is the Simon Cowell of “Shark Tank” and he’s totally unapologetic about it.

When the Canadian entrepreneur thinks your idea is stupid, he tells you — in no uncertain terms.

“If they’ve wasted their entire family’s net worth on an idea that’s never been tested by the market, tell them the truth,” O’Leary says.

“So what if they cry? It’s very important that they stop doing it. I’m not trying to make friends, I’m trying to make money.

“This is not a show about friends, if you want a friend, buy a dog. This is about getting serious about building a business,” he says.

The venture capitalist, who made billions by selling his software company to Mattel in the ’90s, has only one goal in mind when picking deals that he invests his own cash in, both in the Friday night ABC series and with his O’Leary Funds company.

“I want to go to bed richer than when I woke up,” he says. “The pursuit of wealth is a wonderful thing, but the thing is you have to be honest about it, you have to tell the truth.”

Lying to people and encouraging what he believes is a bad idea — like last week’s ShowNo towel, an idea he deems “offensive” — is “an outrage” and “a form of financial pornography,” he says.

“If people don’t like that I tell the truth, I don’t care. You can sit there and cry all day long, that’s not going to help me write you a check,” he adds.

Which is, perhaps, why O’Leary seems more interested in snarking about the companies, rather than investing in them. “I’m old and wise and I’m very selective,” the 57-year-old explains, adding that when it comes to his money, he’s “a little right wing of Attila the Hun.”

Despite being “a very active venture investor” with about 23 private equity venture deals going on right now, what you’re seeing on camera is O’Leary waiting “in the weeds for the right opportunity,” he says.

“The other guys can blow their brains out [offering deals], but I’m a very selective investor, because I don’t get emotionally involved. If I get pushed out, somebody overpaid, it’s that simple.”

And, O’Leary notes jokingly (or not), “I have just enough money to make Mr. [Mark] Cuban overpay for everything.”

Tomorrow night, O’Leary’s seeming reluctance to part with his cash will change.

“You’re going to see a real company with real sales that every other Shark wasn’t interested in,” he says. “I jumped all over it . . . and amazing things have happened to that company” in just a matter of months.

Ultimately, “When you come to ‘Shark Tank,’ the only person you should listen to is me, because you know you’re getting the truth,” O’Leary says. “I’ll decide if it’s worth it, and after I’m finished, the rest of the people can look into it.”