In the second season of TV3 Media Group’s most popular entrepreneurship show, “Sharks. Lithuania,” everyone came out a winner: both the participants and the investors. This time, the “sharks” allocated twice as much investment to Lithuanian ideas, bringing the total to almost €2.5 million. And viewers proved it was worth watching: not only did the project remain the most-watched entrepreneurship show on television, but the second season also grew its audience share by 17%.

A record was also set by the number of participating “sharks.” This time, the lineup included not only familiar investors—the co-founder of the “Kilo” group of companies Tadas Burgaila, the CEO of “East West Agro” Gediminas Kvietkauskas, the founder of the multi-million startup “Cujo AI” Einaras Gravrock, the head of the law firm “Walless” Dovilė Burgienė, and the founder and chairman of the board of “Eika” Robertas Dargis—but also two of the most prominent women in today’s Lithuanian business world: the CMO of Lithuania’s unicorn “Nord Security,” Toma Sabaliauskienė, and the founder and CEO of “Profitus,” Viktorija Čijunskytė.

To win those highly sought-after investments, the participants went all out this year. Some shocked the “sharks” with electricity, while others, on the contrary, tried to soften their hearts—sometimes with tears, sometimes with children or kittens. Some even gave the “sharks” gifts and treats; others shocked them, made them laugh, or made them feel slightly uncomfortable.

However, only the top 12 received investments. And after the entrepreneurship show ended, they themselves share what the project changed in their everyday lives.

Television Helped Reach Customers Who Couldn’t Be “Caught” Online

During the second season of the entrepreneurship show, a record was achieved—not only in Lithuania but across Europe. Mykolas Karpičius and Dominykas Ježerys–OG Version, together with their wellness startup “Cannumo,” proved to “shark” T. Burgaila that they were worth a million.

This helped accelerate Mykolas and Dominykas’s ambitious plans. Right now, they are not only preparing to launch their product in the United Kingdom and the United States, but are also developing a new offering together with a partner.

“This will expand our gut-health product line in January–February. ‘Gėris’ has the highest number of bacterial cultures in the world, and now we will have the product not only in liquid form but also in an edible form,” says M. Karpičius.

Moreover, recent months have been the best in “Cannumo” history. According to Mykolas, television strongly contributed to these results: “A lot of people saw the show on TV—especially those we might not have reached online. Quite a few people noticed and discovered us afterward. And it became especially evident on shelves—among those who bought not online, but in retail stores. We saw a truly significant flow from stores.”

Having started leading his first company at just 18, M. Karpičius confirms the importance of such TV shows—especially for young people, because they help break down stigmas associated with business.

TV3 will present exactly such a show—an entrepreneurship show for students, “Moksleivių vienaragių paieška” (“The Search for Student Unicorns”)—starting already on December 29. Selected student teams will enter the real startup world, supported by the country’s best specialists. Together, students will refine the idea and business potential, and then face business judges in the filming studio.

“Many people still imagine that starting out or finding partners is very difficult. Of course, there is still a lot of risk involved, but the path—as you can see with the help of such shows—is much simpler. You no longer need to rely only on paid advertising and similar things. If you put together a good product or an idea you believe in, you can present it to all of Lithuania right away on such shows. And even if it doesn’t work out, in the end it will still be a very good lesson. And lessons can’t be bad—they can only be good, paradoxical as that may sound,” he says.

Was It Worth Drinking a Glass of Cleaner on the Show?

One of the biggest surprises this season was delivered by Žydrūnas Kondrotas. After developing other people’s businesses for 20 years, he presented his own on the show—vegan and natural cleaning products.

And to convince the five “sharks” that his product was truly high quality, he drank a glass of cleaner on the show.

“It was absolutely worth doing. Not only did I attract the investors’ attention, but I also showed customers that our products are 120 percent safe to use,” says Žydrūnas.

It didn’t go unnoticed: not only did T. Burgaila and Einaras Gravrock invest in “mr. Soda,” but traffic to Žydrūnas’s brand website also increased significantly. People started recognizing him on the street— and not only in Lithuania.

“Someone wasn’t afraid to ask me in Sicily whether I was the one who appeared on the show. Television’s influence is really big—people spend a lot of time consuming its dominant content,” the entrepreneur says.

According to him, this entrepreneurship show is not just entertainment. It’s a place where you can genuinely take your business to new heights: “And for those who are only preparing for business, it’s a great opportunity to learn something new, rehearse presenting your business, or even adjust it in order to grow.”

No Investment, but New Clients and Valuable Lessons

Matas and Andrius’s business also received a lot of attention—especially from E. Gravrock—an AI tool called “Alclicks,” which helps businesses appear in “ChatGPT” answers.

Although they didn’t manage to attract an investment deal from the “sharks,” the experience was extremely valuable: investor insights and the observations they received after the show became very important for further product development.

“We understand we could have performed better on the show, so we’re taking away very concrete lessons we wouldn’t want to repeat in the future—for example, a smoother presentation, greater confidence, and, of course, the mindset that if you want to fight the ‘sharks,’ you need to become whales yourself,” says Matas Kibildis.

And their website traffic increased fivefold after the show!

“There was a very clear increase in interest—from both businesses and various investors. A significant part of this traffic converted into real buyers, so we can confidently say that appearing on the show provided the advertising we needed and that was effective. Beyond traffic and sales, this experience also gave us confidence—confirmation that we are moving in the right direction and that the product we’re building is relevant and needed by the market,” says Matas.

According to Matas, such shows not only help grow Lithuania’s entrepreneurship culture, but also encourage people to take the first important step—present their ideas, start a business, or look for investment.

“Such shows inspire and change attitudes toward entrepreneurship, money, and, of course, mistakes—which are presented here not as failures but as a natural part of the growth process. Ultimately, such shows create a real opportunity for promising businesses to reach a wider audience and grow their brand awareness,” M. Kibildis adds.

Read more here: https://www.tv3.lt/naujiena/verslas/rekordai-milijonai-ir-nauji-ziurovai-kokiu-rykliai-lietuva-skaiciu-dar-nezinojome-n1480322