About Stats For Sharks

Stats For Sharks exists so that charts like what's above can be created.

There are very few shows that can be quantified in the same way that Shark Tank can be. Every episode features between three and five companies pitching themselves for the sharks' investment. They enter with a value in mind. They either get a deal or they do not. And, if a deal is reached, a new value is placed on the business.

Is that value more or less than it was when they came in? Is the business more or less likely to get a deal based upon the category that it's in? What is the average bite taken from businesses of various categories? How does that compare across categories?

All of these questions could be answered. There was just one thing to be done. Every Shark Tank episode ever made had to be watched to collect the data.

People do strange things when they're single, sad, and alone. Some people take up knitting, as if they're one sweater or scarf away from making the pain go away. Others watch TV. Some select few begin taking notes on what they're watching, not to do some deep dive into the cultural significance of what they're seeing but because they like numbers. Numbers can be ordered, grouped, isolated, and aggregated. And Shark Tank lends itself perfectly to this kind of analysis.

What This Is Not

Stats For Sharks is not a recap site. You will not find a description of every pitch and every deal offered on the company pages. If you like the drama of the show... watch the show. It's worth it.

This is not an investment opportunity site. You may or may not find sales data on various companies, profits and losses, and expected future earnings. But these companies are not (usually) seeking general investment and, in most cases, are unable to. This site also makes no effort to verify that what the entrepreneurs say during their pitches are true.

Stats For Sharks is also not a crib sheet for pitching business on Shark Tank. You might have a food business that you want to pitch and this site may indicate a success rate for other businesses in the same category but this in no way indicates any kinds of odds that your business will successfully get a deal from the sharks. Businesses that appear on Shark Tank go through multiple rounds of tryouts before appearing before the sharks themselves and hundreds are no doubt weeded out before becoming part of the statistics this site tracks.

Lastly, this site does not, in anyway, guarantee that the deals that are made on the show are finalized or at what value they are finalized at all. This site only tracks the statistics generally made available by watching the show.

What This Is

Stats For Sharks is a data project that examines a show that purports to be about numbers and puts it under a microscope in the aggregate.

Shark Tank may not tell us much about which types of businesses are worth investing in. But some trends might be useful. Because every episode features about two companies that get a deal and two that don't, there seems to be an almost 50/50 shot that any business that pitches might get a deal. But additional trends can be seen between these numbers.

For instance, in what years were service companies more popular than businesses focusing on products for the home? Why might that have been? One could speculate that a service business might be stronger than home products because the economy is stronger and consumers have more money to spend. Just seeing the categories that are pitched might reveal something that had been previously unknown.

Stats For Sharks is a site that attempts to peek behind some of these numbers using aggregate data in new and interesting chart combinations so that people can more easily visualize the patterns and add to their own enjoyment of the show. This is why there is a chart on almost every page. They may all look alike but... look a little closer. Something new may pop out at you.

This site does offer some information on individual deals, mostly to provide a little bit of context to the larger aggregate picture. However, when updates are aired, this data will be added to the business profile as well.

Lastly, the Stats Shark does offer some limited analysis of certain deals based both on his own experience and from having watched every episode of Shark Tank, building this site, and having a general feeling for what the sharks may or may not like. This is not investment advice, and should never be mistaken for such, just one person's observations on what he's seen and what seems like a good idea or not.

How To Use Stats For Sharks

The biggest question most people might have is, "How am I supposed to use this stuff?"

And that is the hardest question to answer. The best the Stats Shark can do is say, "However you want."

A custom charts page is currently under construction, so that someone can run the numbers and have it placed into a chart of their choice. But that is not yet been completed.

In the meantime, everyone who uses this site should know that, thanks to the good people who built Charts.js, all of the charts and graphs on this site are interactive. Mousing over a data point will reveal a tooltip with more detailed information. Additionally, if a datapoint is unnecessary or in the way, it can be removed by clicking its legend to hide it from the chart or graph. This can allow users to drill down to the data they really want to see.

Also, when a new season begins, there may not be enough data for a chart or graph to be created yet. However, the data that feeds these visualizations is dynamic and will be updated after each episode. So, if there is a deal that you really want to know how it compares to others, just check back and see if the chart has been updated.

Lastly, some of these numbers might change over time. Robert's interest graph might certainly change as he invests in new and different companies (away from things like, say, Zero Pollution Motors). Additionally, some numbers might change as they are re-evaluated or deal types are revalued.

So none of these numbers are static! And, because the Stats Shark is obsessive, they can change with some frequency when he gets a bee in his bonnet.