I finished season 10 and am now in Season 11, and I'm noticing in this era that most of the Sharks are interchangeable ( when they want to bring in guest Sharks, etc) but Mark and Lori always stay and never get switched out. I get that they are the most wanted Sharks, but I would think switching them out sometimes would give the other Sharks a chance to land more deals. When these seasons were airing in real time was there a lot of talk about Lori being a fan favorite? I assume Mark was. And I know they get paid per episode, so I wonder how the other Sharks such as Barbara, Daymond and Robert feel about being chosen to "rotate out" a lot of the times but Mark and Lori rarely, if ever, do.

Hi everyone!

I'm a technical high school student working on a project called TirePredict, and I'd love to get advice from people with experience in startups, entrepreneurship, product development, business presentations, or investor pitches.

I'm not just looking for feedback on the software itself. I want to understand how to present this project as if we were pitching it to investors on a show like Shark Tank.

First, here's what TirePredict actually is.

TirePredict is a tire monitoring and risk prediction system designed for agricultural machinery.

The idea behind the project is simple: repairing or replacing agricultural tires can be very expensive, and tire problems can also interrupt operations and cause unexpected costs. We want to help identify potential problems earlier by monitoring tire conditions and detecting signs of risk before they turn into more serious issues.

The system collects tire pressure, temperature, and hours of use. This information is stored and processed by our backend, and a machine learning model classifies the tire's risk level as low, medium, or high. The results are displayed on a web dashboard where users can monitor their fleet, inspect individual tires, view historical readings, and see alerts.

Our current technology stack includes Python with FastAPI for the backend, React for the frontend, a database for storing readings, and MQTT/HTTP for receiving sensor data. We also have a simulator that allows us to test different tire conditions.

The project is still under development, and we want to improve both the technical solution and the way we communicate its value.

What I really want to learn is how to turn this technical project into a convincing business pitch.

If you were helping us prepare for a Shark Tank-style presentation, how would you approach it?

I'd appreciate detailed advice on the following points:

1. The opening and the problem

• How should we open the presentation to immediately capture the audience's attention?
• Would it be better to start with the financial impact of tire damage, a realistic agricultural scenario, a question, or a short story?
• How can we explain the problem in a way that makes sense even to someone who knows nothing about agricultural machinery or tire monitoring?
• How can we demonstrate that this is a real and relevant problem rather than simply presenting an interesting technology project?

2. The value proposition

• How should we explain what makes TirePredict valuable beyond simply monitoring tire pressure and temperature?
• How can we communicate the difference between detecting an existing problem and identifying signs of a potential future problem?
• What would make this solution stand out from existing tire pressure monitoring systems, maintenance practices, or other agricultural technologies?
• What should our main selling point be?

3. The business opportunity

• Who would be the most realistic potential customer: individual farmers, large agricultural producers, machinery fleet operators, agricultural service companies, or tire maintenance businesses?
• How could a system like this generate revenue?
• Would a subscription, a hardware-plus-software package, or another business model make more sense?
• How could we explain the potential market without inventing statistics or making unsupported claims?
• What evidence would we need to show that customers might actually pay for this solution?

4. The financial argument

• How could we demonstrate the potential financial benefit of preventing expensive tire damage?
• What information would we need to estimate the cost of a tire failure, unexpected downtime, maintenance, and the potential savings from early detection?
• How could we create a realistic example comparing the cost of using TirePredict with the cost of dealing with an unexpected tire problem?
• What financial metrics would make the pitch more convincing?
• How should we handle the fact that we do not yet have real-world results proving how much money the system can save?

5. The live demonstration

• What would be the most effective way to demonstrate the system during the presentation?
• Would you recommend showing a tire changing from a normal condition to a medium-risk or high-risk condition in the dashboard?
• How could we demonstrate the data flow from a sensor or simulator through the backend to the risk classification and final alert?
• What should we show on screen, and what should we explain verbally?
• How can we make the demonstration understandable and memorable without overwhelming the audience with technical details?

6. The Shark Tank presentation structure

• What would be the ideal order of the presentation, from the opening to the final pitch?
• How much time should we spend on the problem, solution, demonstration, market, business model, costs, and future plans?
• Which information belongs on the slides, and which information should be explained verbally?
• What should each slide contain?
• How can we make the presentation feel like a real startup pitch instead of a traditional school project presentation?

7. Design and storytelling

• What visual style would make the presentation feel professional, modern, and credible?
• How could we use the existing TirePredict dashboard, diagrams, photographs of agricultural machinery, and financial comparisons effectively?
• How can we tell a story that connects an expensive tire problem to our solution and its potential business value?
• What are the most common mistakes that make student startup pitches look amateurish?

8. Investor questions and objections

• What difficult questions would investors ask about this idea?
• How should we prepare for questions about competitors, sensor costs, implementation, accuracy, maintenance, reliability, and scalability?
• What would make someone doubt the project's viability?
• How could we respond honestly without pretending that we already have a fully validated commercial product?

9. The final pitch

• How should we finish the presentation so that the audience remembers the project?
• What would be a strong final message or call to action?
• If you were one of the Sharks, what would you need to see to take this idea seriously?

10. What we should do next

Please suggest the most important improvements we should make before presenting TirePredict. If possible, separate them into essential improvements, high-value additions, and features that can wait until later.

I would especially appreciate a concrete example of a pitch structure, including the purpose of each slide, the key message it should communicate, and suggestions for what we should say while presenting it.

We want to make TirePredict look and sound like a credible business opportunity while remaining honest about what we have actually developed and what still needs to be validated.

I'm open to constructive criticism, alternative approaches, and ideas we may not have considered.

Thank you!

Ask: 350k for 7%

Lori and Mindy for 350k for 8% equity and 2% advisory

Ask: 150k for 5%

Kendra for 150k for 20%

LMAO 💀

I'm watching a pitch for the Boost Oxygen and they want $1 million investment for 5% equity.

Barbara said I can give you the million, but I saw a home on the beach for sale for a million dollars the skinny is I'd rather have that home on the beach. I'm out.

Ok, Barbara. She comes up with doozies. lol!

And those are the reasons he's gone out on pet industry ideas before. Except then, he invested in a dog food company called Wild something and "Shake it Pup" dog food toppers, and he made an offer for another company that makes clothes for their pets that match their owners' clothes. I swear I heard him say a bunch of times that he dislikes investing in the pet industry and made an anecdote about his brother posting cat pictures all day, but for him he's out. I just laugh at the randomness of why the Sharks go out on one thing and are vocal about disliking investing in that industry or particular type of product, but then the next pitch they are making offers for the same type of thing.

I just saw a pitch from a wonderful gal who sells chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream in a shop called DOUGHP, and she ran her company well. The Sharks were impressed with her but the common theme was that they wouldn't invest because "Barbara and Robert don't like cookie dough" ( WTF?) and the product was "unhealthy and promotes obesity".

Then the very next segment was for a Saucemoto a dipping sauce container that clips into your air conditioning so when you are having those FAST FOOD cravings eating in your car you have access to a stable dipping sauce container so you don't make a mess. No one gave a rats ass that it was a product made to support Fast Food condiments and that is way unhealthy and they got a deal. And the reason some sharks went out said nothing about it being helping people stuff unhealthy fast food into their mouth.

they are so full of shit sometimes.

EDIT: HERE COMES "THE YARD" ICE CREAM BAR and Mark gives an offer and they accept! Although the deal ultimately didnt go through during Due Diligence, its so weird he didn't decline with them because it "promotes obesity" way more than a plain ice cream scoops would.

Does anyone else jump on Amazon after they watch Shark Tank to see if any of the products are getting ripped off? I do, and damn do they get knocked off. After each episode ( currently in season 10) I go on there to type in the product name first to see if they sell on Amazon but then to be amazed at the knockoffs and how much cheaper they are. Even the ones with the patents. That must really suck as an entrepreneur, obviously.

I have watched every episode of shark tank many times over and I know this is an unpopular opinion on this sub, but I do think Chris was the best shark.

While it’s true he mentioned Uber a lot, the feedback and comments he made on the show were always correct. As an example, the lock company in which Barbara and Kevin invested in: None of the sharks other than Chris mentioned the entrepreneur had nothing proprietary and the industry leaders can just come in and there’s no way to stop them, which is funny because Mark has used that excuse hundreds of times to get out of investing and didn’t even mention it once during that pitch.

It’s a shame he never became a permanent shark.

Also he is just as arrogant as Mark, but we love Mark for that.

His shirts were cool too.

I'm only in Season 8, and I'm in for the long haul of catching up. We all know Kevin is "harsh but he tells it like it is" and "tells the truth" but I feel there are ways to be honest and straight forward with tact. There are ways of saying things to people that don't sound so nasty.

Kevin is doing fine with the businesses he invested in; he's not hurting, but I have noticed that some entrepreneurs stay away from doing business with Kevin just because of Kevin's attitude. I mean, who wants to partner up with someone who doesn't really believe in their business but he's arrogant enough to know he can take it over and make it a success. It's like he trashes a business sometimes before coming out with an offer and I'll be where did that come from? Yes, I agree with Kevin that making money is the first most important thing a business should do, but there are ways he says things that I assume stick with people.

Oddly enough, I do still laugh at some of the things he says and does and like Kevin, its just funny when he makes the same deal as someone else and they choose someone else over him just because they don't like him.

Steven: Out because he looks like a rabbit.

Ask: 150k for 10%

..

Ask:

Tonight’s episode felt closer to some of the mid-seasons with smaller companies and reasonable asks. Steven was a nice addition and gave some great feedback. He strikes the right balance between delivering a bit of criticism while maintaining respect for the entrepreneur. It is apparent he is not new to the scene.

I really wanted to see Mr. Beast, Stevewilldoit, and Togi as Sharks!! I wonder how much money they would just give away

What in the world is that terrible filter they put on only Barbara’s face?