Based on our detailed examination of 1,274 Shark Tank pitches over seasons 1–14, we present the most comprehensive Shark Tank stats anywhere.
We also exclusively reveal how many Shark Tank deals close after they were agreed on air – and how many collapse after due diligence (Stat 2).
At the bottom of the page, we dive deeper into the methodology we used to compile the statistics and analyze some of the changing trends over the years Shark Tank has been on the air.
Let’s get started!
What Percentage of Shark Tank Deals Are Successful?
Since the show began, people have wondered how many Shark Tank deals have been successful. Here are the full stats.
- 1274 companies have appeared on Shark Tank.
- 766 deals have been made on Shark Tank on screen.
- 60.13% of companies that appeared on Shark Tank made a deal on the air.
- 48% of Shark Tank deals close after they were agreed on screen*.
- Shark Tank success rate: 29% of companies on Shark Tank eventually closed a deal*.
| *Of the 766 companies which made a deal on screen in seasons 1–14, we were able to confirm that 368 of these deals closed, 333 failed to close, and we were unable to confirm the status for 65 deals. |
Biggest & Smallest Shark Tank Deals
- $231,929,000 has been pledged by the Sharks on the show to date.
- $302,799 is the average investment per deal made on the air.
- $5,000,000 was the largest investment agreed to on screen. The deal was made in Season 6 between Mark Cuban and Zero Pollution Motors.
- $10,000 was the smallest investment agreed to on screen. Handy Pan made the deal with Lori Greiner in Season 13.
Biggest & Smallest Shark Tank Valuations
- The highest ask valuation was $50,000,000. This pre-deal ask was made by LARQ in Season 12 and Project Pollo in Season 13.
- The lowest ask valuation was $40,000. This pre-deal ask was made by I Want to Draw a Cat for You in Season 3.
- $36,000,000 represents the largest deal valuation on the show. This valuation was for a deal between Chirp and Lori Greiner in Season 12.
- $35,714 represents the smallest deal valuation of the show. This valuation was for a deal made between The Uro Club and Kevin Harrington in Season 1.
Shark Tank Stats by Shark
We have carefully examined all of the data for the six regular Sharks to present these key statistics by Shark.
- Mark Cuban has made the most deals on Shark Tank at 229.
- Barbara Corcoran has made the fewest deals on Shark Tank at 110.
- Mark Cuban has pledged the most money overall at $64,971,833.
- Barbara Corcoran has pledged the least money overall at $17,490,000.
- Kevin O’Leary has heard the most on-air pitches at 1,161.
- Barbara Corcoran has heard the fewest on-air pitches at 662.
- Lori Greiner makes a deal more frequently than any other Shark at 20.88% of pitches heard.
- Kevin O’Leary makes a deal less frequently than any other Shark at 9.65% of pitches heard.
- Mark Cuban has pledged the highest average investment at $283,720.
- Barbara Corcoran has pledged the lowest average investment at $159,000.
Partnerships in the Tank
- Mark Cuban has made the most partnership deals with another Shark at 109 deals.
- Daymond John has made the fewest partnership deals with another Shark at 34 deals.
- Mark Cuban most frequently forms a partnership, with 47.6% of deals being a partnership.
- Daymond John least frequently forms a partnership, with 30.09% of deals being a partnership.
Guest Sharks Deals
Every season, there are a number of Guest Sharks invited into the Tank. We’ve examined all of the episodes with a Guest Shark to see who has taken the biggest bite in the Tank.
- Daniel Lubetzky has pledged the most money at $5,017,500.
- Steve Tish has pledged the least money at $50,000.
- Guest Sharks John Paul Dejoria, Nirav Tolia, Peter Jones, and Troy Carter made deals most frequently at 50% of pitches heard.
- Guest Sharks Anne Wojcicki, Bethenny Frankel, and Blake Mycoskie made deals least frequently at 12.5% of pitches heard.
Shark Tank Statistics by State
Companies from all over the US, including US territories and Washington DC, have pitched to the Sharks. To discover which states have had the most success on Shark Tank, we looked at where each of the companies were located to determine the success rate for each state. We have also included per capita stats in order to see how smaller states fare against the large states when we control for population.
- Companies from California have made the most appearances on Shark Tank at 352.
- Companies from South Dakota and Wyoming have made the fewest appearances on Shark Tank with 0.
- California companies have made the most deals with 211.
- Companies from Alaska, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming have made the fewest deals with 0.
- Companies from Puerto Rico have received the highest average investment at $750,000.
- Companies from Alaska, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming have received the lowest average investment at with $0.
Per Capita Shark Tank Stats by State
By examining Shark Tank statistics on a per capita basis, we look to measure state success rates by population in order to make a more fair comparison between the very large states and smaller states.
- Companies from Washington, DC have made the most appearances on Shark Tank at 20.3.
- Companies from South Dakota and Wyoming have made the fewest appearances on Shark Tank with 0.
- Companies from Washington DC have made the most deals with 10.2.
- Companies from Alaska, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming have made the fewest deals with 0.
- Companies from Washington DC have received the highest average investment at $4,314,439.
- Companies from Alaska, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming have made the fewest deals with 0.
Shark Tank Statistics: Our Methodology
At Humble Rise, we provide the most comprehensive, up-to-date Shark Tank statistics available anywhere. Here’s how we do it:
- We review every Shark Tank pitch broadcast. We note down the names and locations of the entrepreneurs and their companies, the details of the business and pitch, how much they ask for, whether they are successful or not, and if they are, we document the terms of the deal and which Sharks were involved.
- To find out whether a deal truly closed is a little trickier. First we examine both reliable news sources and the social media presence of the parties involved to find evidence of whether it closed. Often when it does, an announcement is made, but not always. Even rarer is when the parties announce that a deal didn’t close. So some digging is required to find out how many Shark Tank deals fall through.
- The final step is to reach out to the companies/entrepreneurs directly. Sometimes they respond, and at other times they don’t. If they don’t respond, the deal is classified as “unknown”.
Because of the sheer number of companies who have pitched in the Tank over the years, we have been unable to confirm a few stats for 65 companies.
Some of these companies were entangled in legal disputes, and in these situations, there was often no announcement concerning whether a deal closed. For newer episodes, the average time to close a deal after taping appears to be about a year, so it can take some time to determine whether a deal has closed.
Analysis: Closing the Deal after Shark Tank
After reviewing 1274 on-air Shark Tank pitches and following up on 766 deals made on the air, here are a few of the key takeaways from the team here at Humble Rise.
As we cite above in our top two statistics, 60.13% of companies which have appeared on Shark Tank made a deal on the air. However, we discovered that 43.4% of Shark Tank deals fall through after they were agreed on air.
After the bright lights are turned off, and a company’s founders leave the Shark Tank stage, the real work of putting together a deal begins. The Sharks and their teams need additional time to verify the information presented by companies during the pitches, and founders also have lots of additional questions for the Sharks. For instance, what will a Shark really be able to do to help their business?
This waiting and checking period is called due diligence, and it is during this time that many deals which are made on air collapse. We discovered that out of the 766 Shark Tank companies which made a deal on the air, 368 of them closed and had a Shark join their teams.
This means that the actual Shark Tank success rate for a company which has pitched on the air is 29%.
Why Shark Tank Deals Fall Through
There are several reasons why the on-screen deals fall apart, but one of the main reasons appears to be that the Sharks are unable to independently verify the accuracy of the information which was provided to them during the pitch.
Interestingly, many deals also fall through after the taping of an episode because entrepreneurs change their minds and decide that they do not want to close the deal with a Shark. In an interview with The Motley Fool, Shark Robert Herjavec told the publication that the entrepreneurs are “out there, they’re nervous, stuff is throwing out of nowhere, and they’re like, ‘Okay, I’ll do the deal.’ Then they go home that night, they wake up the next day, and they’re like, ‘I just sold 98% of my business to Barbara? What am I doing?’ People can change their mind; it’s not binding, it’s a verbal negotiation. But most of the deals are pretty true to what they are.”
From our observation, we also believe that in some cases, companies experience a massive increase in sales due to their appearance on the show, commonly known as the Shark Tank Effect. While this is obviously great for the company, it may sometimes lead to a perverse outcome: some founders decide that they may no longer need a Shark.
On occasion, some Sharks also believe that certain companies never intended to close a deal; rather, they went through with the Shark Tank experience simply to market their products to a mass audience.
Shark Tank Trends
When analyzing the 1274 pitches over 14 seasons of Shark Tank, we’ve noticed several changes in both the pitches and deals made over the years. Here we discuss some of our most interesting discoveries.
Success Rate for Shark Tank Deals Over Time
Season 1 had the lowest rate of success for on-screen Shark Tank pitches with 42.2% of companies making a deal on screen. Over time, the trend has seen a generally increasing rate of success for Shark Tank pitches with 71.3% of companies making a deal on screen in Season 14.
Average Equity Taken in Shark Tank Deals Over Time
Season 1 saw the highest average equity taken by the Sharks at 50.15% equity per deal made. This trend has seen a general decrease in the average amount of equity taken by Sharks, as in Season 14, on average, the Sharks received 19.4% of equity per deal made.
Total Investment Pledged per Season
During Season 1 of Shark Tank, a total of $5,255,000 was pledged on screen. After remaining fairly steady for the first few years, in Season 5, the total amount pledged jumped up drastically to $17,115,000, and Season 6 had the highest total pledged on screen for a single season with $26,175,000. Since the peak in Season 6, the amount pledged has stayed in a range between $17 million and $23 million.
Average Investment Pledged per Season
During the first season of Shark Tank, the average investment per deal made on screen was $194,630. However, this was not the lowest average investment per deal, as in Season 3, Sharks invested an average of $159,283 per deal made. The highest average investment per deal made was in Season 6 when the average investment was $396,591. After the peak in Season 6, the average investment ranged between $292k and $352k, but Season 14 experienced a drop in the average investment with $280,887 per successful deal.