All 21 Michigan Businesses That Appeared on Shark Tank
I don't have an entrepreneurial bone in my body. Hell, I can barely spell or say entrepreneur. But Shark Tank is one of my all-time favorite shows.
For those that aren't familiar with the primetime network television hit that is 14 seasons deep at this point, Shark Tank presents upstart entrepreneurs, inventors and even established businesses the opportunity to secure a deal with one of five millionaire investment sharks to further their business ventures.
I recently discovered that Shark Tank is available on Hulu and I haven't turned it off in weeks. It's becoming a real problem. While binging the show one night, I wondered to myself how many businesses from our state of Michigan had taken a step into the Shark Tank.
Surprisingly, that answer wasn't readily available - so I set out to figure it out for myself and learn the stories of each presenter from Michigan.
As if I needed another excuse to watch more Shark Tank.
Some Shark Stats
Not only did I find that 21 businesses with ties to The Mitten State had appeared on the show, but it also turns out that Michiganders are statistically pretty good at the show.
More than half of the state's businesses, 12, walked out of the tank with a deal in hand. Only one of those businesses folded after its deal.
Of the other 9 businesses that didn't secure a deal for one reason or another, 5 are still up and running, some banking millions in annual revenue. Meanwhile, only four have closed their doors forever.
In total, 17 of the 21 businesses pitched to the sharks from Michigan have gone on to some semblance of success.
Which shark loved the Great Lakes State the most? Mark Cuban made the most deals, shaking hands on 5 separate occasions, splitting one deal with guest shark Alex Rodriguez. Speaking of guest sharks, A-Rod's deal alongside Cuban is one of only two times a guest shark went into business with a Michigander - the other being Daniel Lubetzky. Only one traditional shark, Barbara Corcoran, failed to secure a deal with a Michigan business.
Kevin O'Leary, AKA "Mr. Wonderful," was the only other shark from Cuban to make a deal with multiple businesses from the Wolverine State, but he saw the least success among all of the sharks. He signed up with the only company that made a deal and eventually closed its door, meanwhile, another deal didn't even close. His only other investment was in season 14 - so he may go three for three on bad deals.
But that's enough of the nerdy side of the show - here are all 21 Michigan businesses to appear on Shark Tank.