Given the importance of entrepreneurship and innovation (E&I) for economic growth, the question of what stimulates them is imperative. Recent research has focused on business training programs as a main driving force. However, these programs have been shown to have mixed effectiveness. Therefore, it is necessary to explore other potential drivers. In this project, I assess whether exposure to Shark Tank - a televised business pitch competition where judges decide whether to support contestants’ ventures - impacts entrepreneurship across the United States. The main empirical strategy involves regressing measures of E&I on viewership (proxied by Nielsen ratings) at the Designated Market Area level over time. We will also include a range of socio-economic variables to control for potentially confounding factors. I am currently cleaning, merging and analyzing patent data from the US Patent and Trademark Office, which will be merged with data from other sources. Preliminary findings suggest that business activity is positively correlated with Shark Tank exposure. We expect the same for other outcomes such as patent applications and counseling sought at Small Business Development Centers.
