Investor , who just finished taping “a big chunk” of Season 17 of “Shark Tank,” says it’s shaping up to be one of the most exciting yet.
It’s also the first without longtime shark , who has announced he would be leaving the show after Season 16. His absence marks a major shift, but the energy on set remains high, according to O’Leary.
“The market for venture capital has dried up,” O’Leary said in a recent post on X. “It reminds me of 2008, 2009.”
According to O’Leary, even large companies with solid sales are now turning to “Shark Tank” to raise money and get global exposure. “They just can’t raise money and so they’re coming to the ‘Shark Tank’ for two things: to get that global exposure, it’s in 154 countries, and of course to seek capital,” he said.
O’Leary added that the show has been attracting a wider range of businesses, including those already generating serious revenue. “Every year seems to be the same. The deals get bigger and the companies get larger.”
He said this season is packed with innovation, including healthy food alternatives, tech, and even artificial intelligence. “I keep saying this every year: this is the best year ever,” he said. “The number of innovation, companies, like just huge. Really interesting.”
In another recent post, O’Leary addressed the uncertainty of today's economy, especially with crypto booming, interest rates fluctuating, and geopolitical risks piling up. His advice to new entrepreneurs is simple: just start.
“More than half the time [successful companies are founded] in times of extreme stress or volatility,” he said. “It really doesn’t have a good or bad time to start — it’s just start is what you have to do.”
He also pointed out that failure is a constant part of entrepreneurship. “The majority of the startups fail anyways, and they always have since the 1950s when they’ve been tracking venture capital,” he noted.
Still, he said, the journey often pays off. “The nature of the journey is exactly that — it’s never a destination. It’s a journey,” O’Leary said.
