With its sixth season coming to a close on ABC this past May 15, the fastest growing show in America has never been bigger, and its star panelists have never burned brighter. The spring has seen the sharks speak in spotlights as diverse and prominent as the White House, Dancing With the Stars, and at the BigSpeak-booked Drive 2015 sales conference in New York on May 7.

It’s a huge moment for the show, one that points to a much bigger picture in entrepreneurship trends. The continued success and visibility both of the Sharks and the businesses they invest in has meant not only big earnings for the ABC — the only major television network this season to grow its young adult viewership — but big opportunities for developing nations, for women, and aspiring young entrepreneurs.

Combining helpful real-world business guidance and colorful criticisms from walking success stories, the show has proven this spring to be not only an entertaining show, but an inspiring one for millions of people, and potentially millions more.

So inspiring are the panelists that President Obama himself invited Barbara Corcoran, Mark Cuban, and Daymond John to speak at the Emerging Global Entrepreneur Event on May 11, where he said, “When you go to some of the toughest places in the world, where violence and deprivation are sadly daily facts of life, what people are most eager to hear about are opportunities to start a business.”

Shark Tank’s power lies in its panelists’ ability to sew the seeds for opportunity. Speaking at the Global Entrepreneur Event, Mark Cuban sees investing as an agent for change, a chance to give people the power to realize the American dream. Making business dreams a reality today is easier than ever, he said, with technology providing greater tools for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Without doubt, the panelists of Shark Tank themselves had made dreams more attainable for show participants and viewers alike. In fact, the show’s largest growing demographic is girls between the ages of nine and 18, which bodes well for America’s future business landscape. With the majority of its most profitable contestants being women CEOs, clearly, the sharks have had a very real effect on inspiring and motivating female viewers.

This spring, it’s evident what people mean when they speak of the Shark Tank effect. Few other shows have had such an exciting influence on the national and global business climate, and few have truly empowered participants and viewers alike with tangible means of entering the market. As former Shark Tank contestant and Breathometer CEO Charles Michael Yin said in an interview with The Post, “It has the most unique and powerful platform in the world, not just in investing but as an entertainment platform. You don’t get just an investment, you get millions of dollars in marketing exposure. That’s something no other VC [venture capital] in the world can do.”

Amber M. is the Marketing Manager at BigSpeak Speakers Bureau.  To bring a shark tank panelist to your next conference or event, contact BigSpeak at (805) 965-1400 or info@bigspeak.com.