Shark Tank Statistics: The Truth Behind the Show’s Deals

Shark Tank has been captivating audiences for 15 seasons and counting, offering viewers an up-close-and-personal look at how high-stakes investment deals unfold in the exciting world of entrepreneurship and venture capital investing.

Although the main appeal of the show comes from getting to watch business owners and inventors pitch their ideas and business models to the “Sharks,” hoping to secure a life-changing investment from one or more of them, there’s also a whole range of interesting Shark Tank statistics that can provide further insights into the negotiations and what really goes on behind the scenes.

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General Shark Tank Statistics

Shark Tank has seen a remarkable number of deals made on air throughout its 15 seasons, with millions of dollars exchanging hands between the show’s investors and contestants after deals are successfully finalized. 

Even though making a deal on Shark Tank doesn’t guarantee a company’s long-term success, an investment from one of the Sharks, not to mention the publicity gained from the show, can go a long way towards helping entrepreneurs grow their business. 

Let’s look at some of the most interesting general statistics from Shark Tank to see just how likely the show’s contestants are to secure venture capital from having a chance to pitch to the Sharks.

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Total Deals Made

According to Shark Tank statistics, there have been a total of 828 deals made during the 15 seasons of the show that have aired to date. This means that Sharks have said “yes” to deals with approximately 60% of the 1362 contestants who have appeared on Shark Tank so far.

However, it’s important to note that Shark Tank deals made on air are just verbal “handshake” agreements, and not all of them actually go through after the cameras are turned off. There’s a lot that needs to happen before a deal is finalized and money gets deposited in the successful contestant’s bank account.

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What Percentage of Shark Tank Deals Are Successful?

Shark Tank deal statistics show that less than 50% of deals are successfully closed after they are agreed upon on air by the show’s contestants and investors. This would mean that fewer than 400 Shark Tank deals have been finalized over the years, with the rest falling apart in post-show negotiations.

Why does this happen? Well, after a Shark and an entrepreneur make a deal on an episode of Shark Tank, there’s a long process — and a lot that can go wrong — before the deal gets signed and goes into effect.

As with any investment, the Sharks and their investment teams have to carry out due diligence on their potential investments in order to confirm that all the facts they were told by the business owners are correct and that the investment actually has the potential that they were led to believe it did.

Depending on how this due diligence process goes, it could result in the terms of the deal being renegotiated or even the Shark withdrawing their offer altogether.

The entrepreneurs featured on Shark Tank can also change their minds after the recording of the show for a number of reasons. For example, they might decide to back out of a deal because the Shark offers different terms behind the scenes, or they just have more time to think than they did on the episode and decide not to go through with the deal after all.

There’s also something known as the “Shark Tank effect,” which is when brands featured on the show see their sales and success skyrocket after their episode airs on TV, whether they walk away with a verbal deal or not. This effect perhaps most famously occurred with Ring (known as Doorbot at the time), whose founder didn’t get a deal, but experienced a massive $1 million in sales after his appearance on the show.

Although it impossible to confirm, it’s very likely that a portion of the business owners who decide to go on Shark Tank are just looking to achieve the Shark Tank effect for their businesses, using the show as a sort of free commercial with a high viewership, with no intention of actually closing a deal with a Shark.

Shark Most Likely To Close a Deal

Mark Cuban, one of Shark Tank’s “main” Sharks since season two, has both agreed upon the most deals and offered the most money during the history of the show, but that doesn’t make him the Shark most likely to make a deal on Shark Tank — that title goes to main investor Lori Greiner.

Despite making (slightly) fewer Shark Tank deals overall, Greiner has agreed on deals for a higher percentage of the pitches she’s heard than any of the other Sharks, having made deals on just over 20% of the pitches she’s listened to during her time on the show.

That being said, a different Shark is most likely to close a Shark Tank deal after they make their handshake deals on air — Barbara Corcoran. Although she makes fewer total deals on the show, Corcoran reportedly successfully closes around 60% of her deals off air. That’s more than 10% higher than the Sharks’ average for finalizing deals after the show’s filming wraps!

Total $ Amount Invested in the Show

Throughout Shark Tank’s 339 episodes that have aired, massive amounts of money have exchanged hands, with the Sharks sometimes collectively investing over $20 million in a single season, for a total of well over $200 million invested in ventures on the show since season 1.

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Average Investment Size

As of season 15, the average size of a Shark Tank investment was approximately $287,211, nearly $100,000 more than the average investment size during season 1, which was $177,963.

The highest average investment size on Shark Tank occurred in season 6, when it was nearly $392,615.

Number of Deals Made by Each Shark

• Mark Cuban total deals: 243
• Lori Greiner total deals: 223
• Kevin O’Leary total deals: 127
• Robert Herjavec total deals: 115
• Daymond John total deals: 115
• Barbara Corcoran total deals: 123 

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Most (And Least) Active Sharks

Shark Tank investment statistics show that the most active Sharks are Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner. Although Cuban has made the most deals during the show’s long run (243 deals), Greiner isn’t far behind him (223 deals).

In terms of the least active Shark Tank investor, Barbara Corcoran has both made the fewest deals and pledged the least money on the show (123 deals). Despite that, she appears to be very successful at finalizing the deals she does make!

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Highest Average Investment Size

It may come as no surprise by now that Mark Cuban is the Shark with the highest average investment size, with a total average of more than $283,000 from all of his Shark Tank investments. His Shark Tank deal statistics show that he’s made several deals for more than $1 million, contributing to such a high average.

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Highest Valuation on Shark Tank

Highest Deal (Post-Deal) Valuation

The highest deal valuation on Shark Tank was for a deal between Lori Greiner and a brand called Chirp, in season 12, which had a valuation of $36,000,000.

Greiner offered the company’s CEO and founder, Tate Stock, $900,000 in exchange for 2.5% equity, a deal which he accepted.

Chirp’s back pain relief product, a wheel designed to roll back and forth between shoulder blades to reduce tightness and pain in the region, really blew up during the pandemic, with so many more people working from home and sitting for long periods of time. The company projected $40,000,000 in sales for 2020, which is why it had such a high valuation at the time

Highest Ask (Pre-Deal) Valuation

The highest ask valuation on Shark Tank was $50,000,000, for a company named Larq. The self-cleaning water bottle company was seeking $500,000 in exchange for 1% equity, based on the fact that it was already doing nearly $15 million in sales after just 3 years in business.

Ultimately, Larq walked away with a joint deal from Lori Greiner and Kevin O’Leary, for $1 million in exchange for a 4% stake in the company. As of 2022, Larq was projecting to reach $30 million in sales by the end of the year.

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Lowest Valuation on Shark Tank

Lowest Deal (Post-Deal) Valuation

The lowest deal valuation on Shark Tank was just under $37,000, for UroClub, a novelty product brand that appeared on season 1 of Shark Tank. The deal was made between UroClub and guest shark Kevin Harrington, who gave $25,000 for 70% of the company.

The UroClub is marketed as a “portable urinal” golf club, best suited as a gag gift for golfers, which somewhat explains its low valuation. Despite being the lowest valuation on Shark Tank and operating in a very specific niche, UroClub is still in business nearly 15 years later.

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Lowest Ask (Pre-Deal) Valuation

The lowest ask valuation for a company on Shark Tank was $40,000, for a company called I Want to Draw a Cat for You, which appeared in season 3 of the show. 

I Want to Draw a Cat for You’s founder went on the show looking for just $10,000 in exchange for 25% of the company. He walked away with a deal from Mark Cuban, who offered $25,000 for a 33% stake in the venture.

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Highest Investment on Shark Tank

The biggest Shark Tank deal made on air happened in season 6, when Robert Herjavec offered Zero Pollution Motors, the company behind the first compressed air-powered car, a whopping $5 million for a 50% stake in the company. However, this was one of the many Shark Tank deals that fell apart during the post-show due diligence phase, so it was never finalized.

As for the highest Shark Tank investment where money actually exchanged hands, Kevin O’Leary’s $2.5 million investment in Zipz Wine, a manufacturer of single-serve, portable plastic wine cups, takes the cake. Ironically, this deal also took place in season 6 — now you can probably see why that season had the highest average investment size out of all seasons!

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Lowest Investment on Shark Tank

Shark Tank’s lowest investment ever was $10,000 given by Lori Greiner to Handy Pan, a frying pan company that appeared on the show in season 13, in exchange for 20% of the enterprise. She made the deal without even hearing their entire pitch, stating that for such a low sum of money she had nothing to lose. However, it’s unclear whether or not the smallest Shark Tank deal was successfully finalized off air.

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Who Is the Biggest Guest Shark Investor?

Of Shark Tank’s many guest investors who have appeared over the years, Daniel Lubetzky, founder and CEO of the KIND Snacks company, has pledged the most money, for a total of more than $5 million.

Lubetzky has appeared in many Shark Tank episodes, in seasons 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15. His Shark Tank statistics include a total of 19 investments, 6 of which were for more than $500,000. His largest Shark Tank investment was $1 million in Yellow Leaf Hammocks, for which he was given a 25% stake in the socially responsible hammock company.

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Wrapping Up

Shark Tank has undoubtedly become a cultural phenomenon since it first aired in 2009, offering unique insights into how entrepreneurship and investment deals work.

But, beyond the entertaining pitches and dramatic negotiations that we see on air, looking at Shark Tank statistics from all of the show’s seasons can reveal even more about the interesting dynamics of deal making, the Sharks' investment behaviors, and the real-life outcomes of these ventures. 

From Shark Tank investment statistics on the impressive number of deals made and the vast sums of money involved, to the surprising statistics on successful closings, these numbers paint a more comprehensive picture of how Shark Tank really works, failed deals and all. As viewers, analyzing these statistics can help us gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of venture capital investment deals and their true potential.

Keep in mind that Shark Tank is ongoing, so the statistics on deals and investments are constantly changing! We’ve done our best to include the most accurate numbers from the first 15 seasons of the show in this article. 

Season 16 of Shark Tank is slated to air in fall 2024, so keep an eye out for the season premier and all the exciting deals to be made!