How To Get On Shark Tank: Two Young Entrepreneurs Share Their Secrets Before This Week’s Show

Straight out of Stanford University in 2017, classmates Sophia Edelstein and Nathan Kondamuri founded Pair Eyewear, a children’s optical line that lets kids snap magnetic frames onto their Pair glasses to instantly change the look of their specs. On March 6, 2020, the young entrepreneurs—they’re both 25—appear on ABC’s Shark Tank to make their pitch for funding. Pair has already landed more than $1 million in investment support but now they want to scale the business.

I love the brand and the options it gives teens and preteens to style and adapt an accessory that can be a real negative for many kids. As Edelstein and Kondamuri head into the Tank, I asked about their company and their experience pitching the toothiest of investors.

So, what made you believe Pair was worthy of Shark Tank? What’s unusual about the product and your approach? 

Nathan Kondamuri: From my own experience wearing glasses as a child, I knew how scary and medical-feeling it could be. Aside from the general uncool factor, there was a lack of style options and I couldn’t change my glasses every day like I did my clothes. My glasses felt more like a glaring medical device rather than an extension of my personality. After interviewing over 400 families about their eyewear experiences we knew this was a universal problem. Our patent-pending collection of durable, lightweight base frames and interchangeable magnetic top frames are designed to make glasses empowering and fun for kids and affordable and stress-free for parents. Soon after launching Pair, we decided that Shark Tank would be the perfect platform to reach the millions of families across the U.S. that wear glasses and hopefully receive investment and support from some of the top business minds behind consumer products.

What was the audition process like? How many other entrepreneurs did you beat out? 

Sophia Edelstein: Over 45,000 entrepreneurs apply to the show every year, and the probability of making it to the tank to pitch on TV is under one percent. Our journey started with our audition video, where we introduced Pair and the children’s eyewear market at large. Pair is a fun children’s brand designed from the ground up to make every child feel confident in their own skin. Of course, we had some fun with the presentation and made sure our personalities shone through. You’ll have to watch to see what we did.

Describe your strategy for the show. How did you research and develop a plan for your time among the Sharks? 

Kondamuri: We spent a lot of time developing the pitch to highlight our product but also to create a compelling story that explained why Pair is solving such an important problem. We watched and re-watched every episode ever aired on Shark Tank. I began at the most recent season and Nathan began at the beginning and we took notes on each company, how they told their story, and how they answered questions. We created a running document where we wrote down every question ever asked to an entrepreneur, which Shark made which deal, and the valuations each company received. We used all of this to help develop our strategy for the show and quiz each other on questions the Sharks could ask us.

Wow! Impressive. But what’s different about being on set versus watching the show at home?

Edelstein: On TV, the Shark Tank world is only the entrepreneurs and the Sharks. In real life there’s a large and passionate team of people that all make the show possible. Everyone on set was so supportive, warm, and enthusiastic. You could tell they were passionate about bringing Shark Tank to life and held a genuine interest in you as the entrepreneur. Everyone is hoping you get a deal and they do their very best to make you feel comfortable.

Was there one Shark you targeted or did you focus on building the best pitch possible to appeal to all? 

Edelstein: Since you don’t know which Sharks will be on set when you are practicing and building your pitch, it’s very important to build the best possible pitch to appeal to all the Sharks. Like I said, we watched every episode and began seeing some correlation between the kinds of companies certain Sharks liked to invest in and the elements that work well universally with all the Sharks. Then we added some unique elements we thought would help us stand out. But we can’t talk about that before the show airs.

Any general lessons or tips to share with entrepreneurs who dream of going on Shark Tank?  What can your experience teach others?

Kondamuri: First, I’d say: know your business and numbers inside out. The Sharks are smart. This will be your first time pitching in the Tank, but they have been through this hundreds, if not thousands of times. They know what questions to ask and expect you to have prepared responses no matter what. Be prepared to answer any question you’ve ever seen on any episode, and brainstorm what kind of unique questions they might ask about your product.

Also, you really want to make sure your energy and excitement for your product and business shine throughout during the entire audition process and especially in the Tank. The Sharks are investing in you as much as your business and, without enthusiasm, even the most brilliant of products won’t stand out.

The interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.