- A founder shared her “Shark Tank” experience and why she didn’t close her deal with Mark Cuban.
- Blaine Anderson posted on X that she had to submit “TONS of paperwork” and pass several interviews.
- The Dating by Blaine chief said she realized later an outside investor would make her life harder.
A founder who pitched her dating startup on “Shark Tank” and struck a deal with Mark Cuban shared what it was like to appear on the show — and why she ultimately didn’t take the tech billionaire’s investment.
Blaine Anderson, the CEO of Dating by Blaine, walked through her “Shark Tank” experience in a thread on X after the episode featuring her was shown again this week.
Her company sells online courses aimed at men about various aspects of dating, plus one-on-one teaching sessions with the boss herself.
Anderson, who has more than 700,000 Instagram followers, wrote that one of the show’s producers contacted her in early 2023 after reading about Dating by Blaine in a newspaper article. She agreed to chat with “tempered excitement” because she was selling digital products and services and required little working capital.
The matchmaker recalled submitting “TONS of paperwork” including bank statements, and going through several rounds of interviews, before she was invited to Los Angeles to film in May 2023.
During the episode, Anderson revealed she founded the company in mid-2020 after losing her job during the pandemic, and had already generated more than $2.2 million in sales. She also made about $500,000 of profit on some $1 million of sales in 2022, she said.
Anderson asked the Sharks for $100,000 in exchange for 2% of her company, valuing it at $5 million. The Sharks were visibly intrigued by her pitch, but grew less impressed when she couldn’t break down her revenues from different products or say how many classes she’d sold.
Guest Shark Michael Rubin quickly dropped out. Kevin O’Leary showed interest, but Anderson had her eye firmly on Cuban. Barbara Corcoran helped her reach a deal that would give him 10% of the business for $100,000, valuing it at $1 million, and the pair agreed to those terms.
Anderson wrote on X that after filming, she was directed to a private room where a psychologist checked on her, which she described as a “nice touch” from the studio. She added that everyone working on the show was “thoughtful and kind,” and understood how much was at stake for the entrepreneurs involved.
The dating guru said her pitch was “ROASTED on Reddit,” but she defended her right to ask for whatever valuation she wanted. Anderson added that she’s not great with numbers as she’s a “dating coach and matchmaker, not an accountant,” and that she probably benefits from “pretty privilege” as some critics had said.
Anderson said she didn’t end up closing the deal with Cuban despite spending “tens of thousands of dollars on legal fees, plus months of my focus, hoping to make things work.” That was because she eventually realized that having an outside investor would make her life harder.
She also showered praise on Cuban. “Mark is down to earth, easy to work with, shockingly accessible, super smart, and funny. He cares about his entrepreneurs, and I’d be glad to work with him someday.”
Cuban and ABC didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider. Anderson declined to comment.
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