The Triangle Business Journal reports that billionaire Marc Cuban, who hosts TV’s “Shark Tank” in an effort to find the next profitable business venture, thinks the Triangle is an area to watch.

“I think the growth outside of the valley will dwarf what happens inside the valley,” he writes via email Thursday, pointing to Austin, Dallas, Boston and the Triangle as “better” for his portfolio than Silicon Valley.

And Cuban has put his money where his mouth is, having invested in Durham startup Validic alongside local investors such as David Gardner.

TBJ also has an interesting story about how the person behind Validic got Cuban’s attention — and investment.

Thank goodness there are still people who value and applaud the producers, the idea-makers, and the entrepreneurs. These days it is commonplace for the brightest and most successful among us to be demonized and targeted for ridicule, scorn, and of course, the fruits of their labor.