The origins of the show date back to 2001 when Japan telecast Money Tigers, wherein entrepreneurs are allowed to pitch their ideas to successful and established moguls who decide on investing in the business or not. Adapted from the British and Canadian versions of Dragon’s Den, Mark Burnett is the sole creator of the show best known for The Apprentice, The Voice, and Survivor. The reality show has gained astronomical popularity worldwide and has created a platform for people to share their ideas.
Shark Tank first premiered in August 2009 on the ABC Network and has continued its reign as a successful reality program for fourteen seasons. As businesses pitch their ideas on the show, it boosts their sales, whether a Shark regardless of earning an investment. Shark Tank also received four Primetime Emmy Awards for Best Reality Structured Program. The Sharks on the show have also gained skyrocketing success with their TV presence. Look at the wealthiest Sharks on Shark Tank, ranked by their net worth.
8 Barbara Corcoran ($100 million)
Barbara Corcoran has been the core cast member of Shark Tank since its first season. The charming real estate mogul first began her business in 1973 and sold it off to National Realty Trust in 2001 for a hefty price of $66 million. Corcoran has published three books, hosted a podcast, and invested $5.4 million in the business presented at Shark Tank. Most notably, she invested $350,000 in Coverplay, her most significant investment to date.
Considering she has been a staple of the financial show since its beginning, fans of the show are always surprised to hear that she has the lowest net worth of the sharks. Though her net worth is the lowest of her co-stars, that has not stopped her from making a fortune from investments.
7 Lori Greiner ($150 million)
Jewelry designer Lori Greiner made her first million dollars by designing an earring organizer, which made $1 million in sales after advertising on cable TV. Ever since the first product, she has created over 700 products for people of all genders, from makeup and jewelry to cooking supplies and remote controls. Through her inventions, she has 100 patents registered under her name. Since joining the main cast in the fourth season, Greiner’s most significant investment was Scrub Daddy, one of if not the most successful product to come out of Shark Tank's.
6 Robert Herjavec ($200 million)
Before Robert Herjavec joined the first season of Shark Tank, he was a regular on the British programming show Dragon’s Den, which had a similar elevator pitch concept to that of Shark Tank. As an internet security expert, he started BRAK Systems, which AT&T Canada bought for a whopping $30 million. He is the co-founder and CEO of The Herjavec Group, which has a $200 million annual revenue. Through his Shark Tank investment in Tipsy Elves, the company has a $70 million turnover.
5 Daymond John ($350 million)
Called the People’s Shark, Daymond John has earned the nice-guy reputation on Shark Tank as he invests in people, not businesses. If the Shark believes he will have a good working relationship with the entrepreneur, he makes the investments. The other Sharks focus more on the product in front of them and do not follow with John's approach to business.
Along with his book sales, Daymond John made his empire with the fashion line FUBU, purchased by Puma for $200 million in 2018. Over the last 100 episodes, John has invested $8.56 million in businesses.
4 Kevin O’Leary ($400 million)
Like Robert Herjavec, Kevin O’Leary also began investing in entrepreneurs in Dragon’s Den before coming to Shark Tank during its premiere season. As the founder of SoftKey International, he acquired the TLC Network under his name for $606 million, which Mattel purchased for $4.2 billion. Known for his reputation of being strict and mean, O’Leary has been dubbed as Mr. Wonderful on the show, a misguided nickname for humor.
3 Kevin Harrington ($400 million)
While Kevin Harrington was only on Shark Tank for two seasons, he made a memorable impact. One of the most successful entrepreneurs, he is called the inventor of infomercials. Under his umbrella of Quantum International, more than 500 products are sold, which make $4 billion in sales. His other business ventures include Electronic Retailing Association, Omni-Reliant Holdings, and Reliant International.
2 Daniel Lubetzky ($2.2 billion)
Daniel Lubetzky has been the guest Shark on Shark Tank since the show's eleventh season. Lubetzky is best known as the founder of Kind Healthy Snacks which was launched in 2004. 40% stake of the company was purchased by Mars, who is the established behind Snickers and M&Ms. He also co-owns a consulting and distribution company PeaceWorks since 1994.
1 Mark Cuban ($4.5 billion)
The richest Shark on the list, Mark Cuban, became a regular cast member in the third season of Shark Tank. He became prominent after selling his internet company Broadcast.com to Yahoo! for $5.7 billion and made $2.7 billion by selling his stock for cash. Cuban is the main stakeholder of the NBA team Dallas Mavericks and owns multiple technology startups and television channels. The mogul purchased the Mavericks for $285 million in 2000 and is worth $2 billion today.
Many entrepreneurs come onto Shark Tank in the hopes that they will impress Cuban. He certainly has the most money to invest in a given product by a longshot, considering his net worth is double that of Daniel Lubetzky.
Many other wealthy celebrities have appeared on Shark Tank over the years. Other notable Sharks who came as guest stars on the show include Peter Jones, Kevin Hart, Emma Grede, Maria Sharapova, and Gwyneth Paltrow. Kevin Hart is reportedly worth $450 million, and Gwyneth Paltrow has accumulated a net worth of $70 milion thanks to her acting career and her wellness brand Goop.
Shark Tank has become a lucrative opportunity for entrepreneurs to showcase their talent and for the Sharks to invest in businesses that have the potential to increase their already flourishing fortunes. Recent successes to come out of the reality business show include new types of skincare and sunscreen, shape wear, and custom swimming goggles. All products featured on the television series can be found on their website.