It’s been over 12 years since Shark Tank premiered and the ABC reality business show is still going strong. Many factors are responsible for the Mark Burnett production’s multiple accolades and high ratings, chief among them being the presence of the sharks themselves. The interactions between the investors and upcoming entrepreneurs are as entertaining as they are refreshing.
While all the sharks are extremely successful, their pockets are not the same. Some are richer than their counterparts, though they always try their best to not make it obvious. At the moment, there is only a single billionaire among the main sharks, with the rest being content with their multi-millionaire status.
Barbara Corcoran – $100 Million
Barbara is the founder of the brokerage firm, The Corcoran Group, which has been in existence since 1973. Apart from being a shark, she also hosts The Millionaire Broker With Barbara Corcoran on CNBC.
The shark has proven an expert at watering seedlings till they grow into huge trees. Her net worth mostly stems from investments she made after selling her company for $66 million, back in 2001. That she only started the company with a mere $1000 is proof of her Midas touch. Even though she doesn’t have as much wealth as the rest of the sharks, Barbara always comes off as a good-hearted person. She rarely throws jabs at entrepreneurs or discourages them. Barbara always exercises caution too by not investing in just about anything and as a result, she has had very few failed businesses.
Lori Greiner – $150 Million
Nicknamed “The Queen Of QVC,” Lori is the president of For Your Ease Only, Inc. Additionally, she is a motivational speaker and host of Clever & Unique Creations, one of the longest-running shows on QVC.
The best businesspeople keep putting new things out in the market and Lori does just that. A prolific inventor of retail goods, Lori is reported to have created over 400 products, with more than 100 patents to her name. On the show, she has an eye for commitment, that’s why she has managed to invest in successful businesses such as Scrub Daddy and Fiber Fix. Thanks to her tendency to do a careful analysis before investing, her net worth has shot up by close to $100 million ever since she joined the tank. On the show, she normally has an advantage in capturing entrepreneurs with consumer goods, since she always promises to promote them on QVC.
Robert Herjavec – $200 Million
Robert owns The Herjavec Group, one of the biggest cybersecurity firms in Canada. Before joining the ABC show, he was also a regular investor in Dragon’s Den, one of the best investing TV shows.
Robert is a fun shark because he is always quick to volunteer to try out products that require demonstration. Additionally, he encourages entrepreneurs even when he has no intention of investing. The amount of wealth he has amassed is impressive, considering the fact that he and his parents fled Yugoslavia when he was 8, forcing them to start from scratch. For this reason, the rags-to-riches narrative is one that the investor can gladly embrace. Robert isn’t afraid to take risks either as he has invested the highest amount on the show, having offered $5 million for 50% of the Zero Pollution Motors company.
Daymond John – $350 Million
Daymond is best known as the founder and CEO of the clothing brand, FUBU, a company he started from his mother’s house. He is also co-owner of the major apparel brand, Bombas, one of the most successful products to ever come out of Shark Tank. Collectively, the two companies are responsible for most of his wealth.
Daymond is the most risk-averse shark. Fans of the show have gotten used to him not investing in businesses and products that he doesn’t have enough knowledge about. His preferences tend to be apparel and food-related businesses. So far, the shark has been justified in that approach since he has very few failures too. Though he shows up a lot less than the other sharks, he is a brilliant mentor. Randy Goldberg, the co-founder of Bombas has been quoted praising him, saying, “Daymond is very generous with his time and thoughts.”
Kevin O’Leary – $$450 Million
Also known as “Mr. Wonderful,” Kevin is the liveliest shark on the show. He got a boost to multimillionaire status after selling his software company, The Learning Company, back in the ’90s. He has also served as a presenter on several Canadian business talk shows.
Kevin always shines above the rest of the sharks because he is as ruthless as he is humorous. He effortlessly switches between jabs and jokes. As such, Kevin O’Leary’s best Shark Tank quotes are also the best overall on the show. He isn’t a greedy investor either as he normally only asks for a small chunk of a company’s stake. His preference for royalty deals is often frowned upon by fellow sharks but it has benefited him greatly because he always gets paid no matter how badly a business is doing. Kevin’s brilliance doesn’t end there. He is the only shark with a catchphrase too, often dismissing uncooperative entrepreneurs with the line “You are dead to me!”
Kevin Harrington – $450 Million
Harrington is best known as the “Inventor Of The Infomercial,” after he coming with the brilliant idea of filling up free time on TV networks. Regrettably, he only appeared on the first two seasons of Shark Tank before his place was taken by Mark Cuban.
The multimillionaire is one of the hardest working business people and as a result, he has an impressive resume. He is the only shark to have launched over 20 businesses that have each grown to amass more than $100 million in sales. Clearly, his expertise would have been very useful if had stayed on the tank much longer. His high net worth is also because of his wide experience. The former shark has been an investor for 40 years.
Mark Cuban – $4.5 Billion
The tech billionaire and owner of the Dallas Mavericks is the richest shark in the tank. He made his wealth after selling his video portal company, Broadcast.com. to Yahoo for $5.7 billion.
Mark always grabs the opportunity to prove why he is the wealthiest investor on the show by offering better insights than his counterparts. Having more money has given him an unfair advantage since most entrepreneurs tend to look his way, hoping to close a deal with the only billionaire in the room. Mark adds to the drama in a major way too, having been part of the biggest arguments in Shark Tank. The investor doesn’t limit himself to business either. He has made ventures in the TV landscape and landed cameo roles in shows such as Billions and Entourage.