Shark Tank is an American business reality television series that premiered on August 9, 2009, on ABC.[1]  It shows entrepreneurs making business presentations to a panel of five investors or “sharks,” who decide whether or not to invest in their company.

The show features a panel of investors called “sharks,” who decide whether to invest as entrepreneurs make business presentations on their company or product.[4][5] The sharks often find weaknesses and faults in an entrepreneur’s product, business model or valuation of their company.[6] Some of the investors are usually kindhearted and try to soften the impact of rejection, like panel member Barbara Corcoran, while others such as Kevin O’Leary also known as “Mr.Wonderful” for his “brutal” and show “no patience attitude even for tales of hardship”.[6] The sharks are paid as cast stars of the show, but the money they invest is their own.[7] The entrepreneur can make a handshake deal (gentleman’s agreement) on the show if a panel member is interested. However, if all of the panel members opt out, the entrepreneur leaves empty-handed. 

The show is said to portray “the drama of pitch meetings, and the interaction between the entrepreneurs and tycoons”.[8] A pitch of around 45 minutes by a contestant is edited down to “a segment roughly 11 minutes long”.[9] As of the 2018 season, about 40,000 companies apply each season with 158 getting to pitch the sharks and 88 of those making it to air.

Here a chapter where Sharks Are Shocked at 13-Year-Old Entrepreneur’s Negotiating Skills

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