To get on Shark Tank, you apply to the show’s casting team, either through the online application linked from ABC’s official Shark Tank apply page or in person at an open casting call, where you give a one-minute pitch with a completed short application in hand. Casting picks a small number of applicants to tape a full pitch in front of the Sharks, and a smaller number of those pitches air. The odds are long, and the founders who made it rarely did so on their first try. This guide covers the official process as ABC describes it in October 2026, the numbers behind the odds, and the lessons from founders whose stories we have documented in our Shark Tank profiles.
How to apply to Shark Tank: the two official routes
ABC’s apply page lists two ways in, and only two:
- Apply online. The page links to an online casting application hosted by the show’s casting vendor. In October 2026 that link already references Season 19. ABC’s general casting page says applications for Season 18 could be submitted “until the end of April.” Look for the current form on ABC’s page rather than relying on a link from anywhere else.
- Attend an open call. ABC’s open-call page explains the format: each person gets a one-minute pitch to a member of the casting team, and you must bring a completed Short Application, downloadable from that page and filled out “fully and legibly.” Arrive during the window when wristbands are handed out, expect a long wait that can run into the evening, and don’t camp out the night before. In October 2026 the page says “All open casting calls for 2026 for Shark Tank are now closed,” with new dates to be announced.
ABC describes what casting is looking for as “breakthrough business concepts, products, properties and services,” including new ideas, startups and established businesses looking to grow. Its casting listing says new and established businesses are both welcome.
How to tell real casting contact from a scam
ABC’s apply page is explicit that official casting communication “originates from email addresses ending in @sharktanktv.com,” and that contact from any other domain is not from the team. Applying is done through ABC’s page, so if someone offers to “get you on the show” for a fee, or emails you from another domain, treat it as a scam.
The odds: about 0.2% of applicants air
The numbers most often quoted come from a 2019 USA Today Q&A with the show’s producers, as summarized on Wikipedia:
| Stage | Approximate number (2018 season) |
|---|---|
| Applications | 35,000 to 40,000 |
| Advanced past the first screen | About 1,000 |
| Pitched to the Sharks on set | About 150 |
| Aired | Fewer than 100 (88 by one count) |
Eighty-eight out of 40,000 is about 0.22%. Put another way, roughly two in every five pitches taped in front of the Sharks never air. A pitch of about 45 minutes is edited to about 11 minutes, and most episodes show four pitches, according to the same summary.
What happens after you’re cast
Getting cast is not the same as getting a deal, and getting a deal on air is not the same as getting money. Wikipedia, summarizing reporting from the Washington Post and New York Post, notes that a handshake on the show is not binding: due diligence follows, including product testing and a financial review, and either side can walk away. The Sharks invest their own money, according to the show’s disclaimer.
How often the handshake turns into an investment is the question we tested in Shark Tank deals by the numbers. Across 29 on-air deals in our profiles, 20 are documented as closed on the terms shown and at least 5 did not close as aired. The Sharks also typically valued the companies at about half of what the founders asked.
The show no longer takes a cut. Early contestants signed an agreement giving the producer the option of a 2% royalty or a 5% equity stake; Wikipedia, citing Inc., reports that the requirement was dropped retroactively in October 2013 after pressure from Mark Cuban.
Who you’d pitch to in 2026
The panel has changed. Mark Cuban left after the Season 16 finale in May 2025, and Daniel Lubetzky, the KIND founder, became a permanent Shark during Season 16, according to Wikipedia. ABC’s July 2026 announcement for Season 18 named Kendra Scott and Rashaun Williams as new permanent Sharks alongside Barbara Corcoran, Robert Herjavec, Lori Greiner, Daymond John, Daniel Lubetzky and Kevin O’Leary, with guest Sharks including Jimmy Donaldson (MrBeast), Mindy Kaling, J.J. Watt and Steven Bartlett. Know who will be in the room before you decide what to ask for. In our profiles, Lori Greiner’s deals have included credit lines (Everlywell, FlexScreen) and a licensing agreement (Better Bedder), and Kevin O’Leary’s have included royalties (Potato Parcel). We checked the nine companies Greiner features on her own site in Lori Greiner’s Shark Tank deals.
What founders who got on the show did differently
These come from the founders’ own accounts and the reporting in our profiles, not from the show’s producers.
They treated rejection as feedback
Squatty Potty was turned down for Season 5. Bobby Edwards told MedCity News that the show did not want bathroom products, and that a second audition tape “really nailed down that Squatty Potty is a health tool”; it was accepted for Season 6 (profile). Boarderie was rejected in its first year and accepted the next, and co-founder Rachel Solomon told Tasting Table the first rejection was a blessing because the company could not yet have handled the demand (profile).
They prepared for a long process
Scrub Daddy’s own timeline says Aaron Krause filmed in July 2012 “after 3 long months of auditions,” and the episode aired that October (profile). Plan for months between application and broadcast, and for the possibility that a taped pitch never airs.
They knew their numbers cold
The pitches that drew several offers came with clear unit economics. Cupbop told the Sharks a bowl cost about $2 to make and sold for $8 to $10 (profile); Ring’s Jamie Siminoff gave a $199.99 price against an $81.83 landed cost (profile). Daisy Cakes got a deal despite having no concrete plan for the money, Entrepreneur noted, but Barbara Corcoran invested in the founder, not the plan (profile).
They were ready for the demand
The episode is a sales event. Tipsy Elves sold $750,000 in the week after its episode; Boarderie paused orders over Christmas because it ran out of cheese (Tipsy Elves, Boarderie). Have inventory, a site that can take the traffic, and a way to fulfil.
They decided their walk-away terms in advance
Kodiak Cakes turned down $500,000 for 50% and later sold a majority stake to private equity after revenue grew more than 50-fold (profile). Spikeball accepted Daymond John’s offer on air, then let it fall apart over control of licensing (profile). Decide before you walk in how much equity, control and royalty you will give, and run the numbers with our post-money valuation calculator.
A short checklist before you apply
- A product or business you can explain in one sentence, and a one-minute version of the pitch for open calls.
- Your current sales, margins and unit economics, and what you would do with the money.
- An ask you can defend: amount, equity and the valuation it implies. Our guide on how to value a startup covers the methods.
- Inventory and fulfilment ready for a demand spike.
- A clear sense of what you would refuse: majority control, royalties, licensing rights.
- Contact only through ABC’s official apply page, and only trust email from @sharktanktv.com.
Questions about getting on Shark Tank
Does it cost money to apply to Shark Tank?
ABC’s apply and open-call pages describe the process without any fee. Anyone asking you to pay to be considered is not part of the official process.
Do you need a product already on the market?
ABC’s casting description includes “new ideas” as well as startups and established businesses. In practice, most of the companies in our profiles had sales before they pitched.
Can you apply more than once?
Yes. Squatty Potty and Boarderie were both rejected before being accepted, according to their founders.
How long is the pitch?
At an open call, one minute. On set, the full pitch runs about 45 minutes and is edited to about 11 for broadcast, according to the USA Today Q&A summarized on Wikipedia.
Process details are from ABC’s casting, apply and open-call pages, checked October 28, 2026. Casting rules change by season; confirm them on ABC’s site before you apply.
