Steven Bartlett’s Shark Tank debut lived up to the hype. On October 7, the Diary of a CEO host took his seat as a guest Shark on ABC’s Shark Tank. It was Season 18, Episode 3: “Diary of a Shark.” By the end of the night, he had done what Dragons do best: he made a deal.
The numbers, however, tell the story. Bartlett teamed with fellow Shark Kendra Scott: $200,000 for 20 percent of Pup Stack, a weighted dog anchor. The founders — father-and-daughter team Brian and Kayla Zibricky — had asked for $150,000 for 10 percent. They left with more than they requested — and, as a result, two Sharks in their corner. Inc. reported the deal terms.
Steven Bartlett’s first Shark Tank deal: the $200K Pup Stack offer
The episode aired at 10:01 p.m. ET. Bartlett sat alongside Kevin O’Leary, Lori Greiner, Daniel Lubetzky, and Kendra Scott. According to ABC, four businesses pitched. Pup Stack, an anchored dog leash; Nutcase, an electrolyte-rich cashew milk; ZALT, an on-the-go hydration pouch; and UnderWarmer, a battery-free heated vest.
Of the four, Pup Stack was the one that won Bartlett over. In the Tank, however, joint bids are a classic move. They give founders two experienced investors at once — something money alone cannot buy. For Bartlett, it was also a familiar kind of bet: a simple consumer product with an obvious customer.
It was a quick first impression, too. Most American viewers knew Bartlett only as a podcast host. Within a single episode, however, he showed he could hold his own in the Tank as well.
What Steven Bartlett really thinks of Kevin O’Leary
In a PEOPLE exclusive this week, for instance, Bartlett opened up about joining the show — and about Kevin O’Leary in particular.
Bartlett admitted he had braced for fireworks. “I thought I would have to compete with Kevin in terms of debate,” he said. Off camera, though, he found a gentleman with a sharp sense of humor. Their on-air banter was “all playful,” he stressed: “he knows how to dish it out and can handle it too.”
He praised the rest of the panel as well. His fellow Sharks and the production team were “incredibly welcoming,” he said. That matters: walking into an American TV institution as the new British face is no small thing.
Steven Bartlett’s Shark Tank week: the timeline
The episode was the centerpiece of a whirlwind week that showed how far Bartlett’s American profile has traveled. So here is how it unfolded, day by day:
The business behind the Shark Tank debut
| Day | What happened | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, October 6 | Bartlett spoke at Sapiens Ignite, an insurance tech summit, then flew to New York. | Nashville → New York |
| Wednesday, October 7 | Appeared on NYSE Live at the New York Stock Exchange; “Diary of a Shark” aired at 10:01 p.m. ET. | New York |
| Thursday, October 8 | Joined Greiner, O’Leary, Lubetzky, Robert Herjavec, Rashaun Williams, and co-showrunner Yun Lingner for a Season 18 talk at the 92nd Street Y. | New York |
| Friday, October 9 | Told Business Insider he decides on a 50-year horizon and is building Steven.com to outlast him. | Published online |
From Dragons’ Den to Shark Tank: two tanks, one format
Still, there is a neat symmetry to the crossover. Dragons’ Den and Shark Tank are both versions of the same Japanese format, Money Tigers. In both, investors can bid against each other — or join forces, exactly as Bartlett and Scott did.
His best-known Dragons’ Den result is still PerfectTed — the matcha brand valued near $200 million, tracking $100 million in 2026 revenue. Bartlett became the BBC’s youngest-ever Dragon back in 2021.
ABC announced him as a Season 18 guest Shark back in July 2026. He remains a Dragon on BBC One. For now, though, the Shark chair is a guest spot only — the network has announced nothing further.
What’s next for Steven Bartlett?
In addition, the Steven Bartlett Shark Tank appearance fits a bigger pattern. In September 2026, his company Steven.com launched OBSN (“Obsession”) with Authentic Brands Group. The creator-economy venture aims to deploy up to $400 million into creator-led businesses over the coming years.
The rest of the portfolio is just as striking: Steven.com is valued at $425 million; Bartlett’s WHOOP stake sits in a company now worth $10.1 billion; The Diary of a CEO was Spotify’s second most popular podcast worldwide in 2025, with 20 million YouTube subscribers; and Forbes named him one of the world’s highest-earning creators in 2026.
So the Shark Tank debut was not a detour. It was a milestone: the week a British Dragon became an American Shark, if only for a night. It also lands in a stacked TV season, from HBO’s Girls revival to Netflix’s new Mike Tyson docuseries.
Will ABC invite him back? That, however, remains to be seen. His first night in the Tank ended as every investor hopes: with a deal, a new ally in Kendra Scott, and an audience that now knows his name. What did you make of the debut — should the Tank keep him? Tell us below.
