Shark Tank Season 15: Blaine Anderson’s Pitch for Dating by Blaine
The eagerly anticipated third episode of Shark Tank’s 15th season aired on October 13, 2023, spotlighting entrepreneur Blaine Anderson, the visionary behind Dating by Blaine. Anderson sought a $100,000 investment in exchange for a 2% equity stake in her innovative company, which specializes in dating coaching services tailored for men.
In her pitch, Anderson highlighted the challenges faced by men in contemporary dating landscapes and illustrated how her coaching courses empower them to gain confidence and cultivate meaningful connections.
“Who wants to play cupid with me and get more singles mixing, mingling, and in happy relationships?”
During the presentation, Anderson elaborated on her business model, which features an extensive online dating masterclass priced at $1,295. This course includes pre-recorded lessons and limited one-on-one coaching, like profile makeovers to enhance users’ dating profiles.
Shark Tank Negotiations: Anderson’s Outcome
Following an intense round of negotiations, Blaine secured an investment from Mark Cuban, who offered $100,000 for a 10% share in her company. As of 2025, Dating by Blaine continues to thrive with an active website and Anderson amassing over 711K followers on her Instagram.
Business Growth and Course Offerings
Diving into the details of her entrepreneurial journey, Anderson showcased impressive growth statistics during her October 13 pitch. Since launching Dating by Blaine in 2020, she generated $22,000 in revenue within the first six months, followed by a remarkable increase to $484,000 in 2021 and $1 million in 2022. For 2023, she projected sales to reach $1.5 million.
The cornerstone of her business, the dating masterclass, allows men to learn at their own pace and includes features like personalized profile makeovers. Additionally, she offers a texting course priced at $149 and exclusive one-on-one coaching sessions for $6,295, covering six 45-minute interactions.
“Ever since I was a kid, I was so interested in relationships, even on the playground. Who’s going out with who? Who likes who?”
After facing job loss as a travel agent due to the pandemic, Anderson transitioned into dating coaching, drawing from her own life experiences and extensive research. By creating a dating app profile as a coach, she attracted hundreds of inquiries, showcasing the demand for her services.
Shark Responses: Insights from the Judges
The Sharks reacted variably to Anderson’s pitch. For instance, Lori Greiner pressed Anderson on the absence of a coaching offering for women, to which Anderson explained that targeting a narrower audience had proven more effective for her business strategy. Barbara Corcoran expressed surprise at the reported revenues, while Kevin O’Leary questioned her qualifications, prompting a detailed response from Anderson about her genuine interest in relationships.
“The vision I have for my business is having a shark that the kind of men I work with look up to.”
Despite her strong revenue figures, Anderson faced scrutiny over the scalability of her business, especially when Mark Cuban inquired about her sales figures for texting courses, which she was unable to accurately provide. Ultimately, she estimated approximately 900 enrollments in her masterclass over the past year.
“That’s a Shark Tank no-no,”
admitted Cuban, emphasizing the importance of having precise data in negotiations.
During her pitch, Anderson revealed a profit of nearly $500,000 in the previous year, despite incurring significant one-time costs, such as buying a car for filming and setting up a home office. When questioned by Kevin O’Leary about the need for an investor, Anderson responded eloquently about wanting a prominent male figure to enhance her brand’s credibility with prospective clients.
“I don’t see this as a scalable product, and for that reason, I’m out.”
Rubin was the first to exit the negotiations, followed by Cuban, who highlighted the insufficient equity stake as a factor. Corcoran and Greiner also opted out, the latter implying that Anderson seemed to prefer a male investor. However, O’Leary proposed a deal of $100,000 for 15% equity, leading to further negotiations.
After some back-and-forth, in which Cuban reflected on his own dating struggles and the value of Anderson’s work, they settled on a deal when Anderson countered Cuban with an offer of 8% equity, ultimately agreeing on 10%.
Shark Tank airs every Friday at 8 PM EST, delivering engaging entrepreneurship content weekly.