Often, I see people getting worked up about Shark Tank.
Remember — it is a reality show. And a reality show is primarily a show, not reality.
What you see on Shark Tank is not the way investment deals are really done. In the world of investing, you spend hours reading really boring reports and having long conversations with people. (There is no suspenseful music playing in the background)
And most of the time, all this leads to nothing. You may form an opinion, but not have a good company to invest in. Or there could be good companies, which are all overpriced.
But after going through a hundred prospects and months of effort, sometimes you get lucky and get a good deal done. That is real life.
Shark Tank and shows like that do serve a purpose. They entertain, and as a side benefit, inform the common person about startups and innovation. And that is a good thing.
But their dazzle and glamour can also be quite misleading.
Investing is as much like Shark Tank as cooking your daily daal-chaawal is like MasterChef.
– Rajan