Deal Types

Of the deals made on Shark Tank, each typically falls into one of eight categories.

Debt is where the deal involves little to no equity and is simply a loan on the part of the shark. Debt/Royalty is where the deal was a load and it either included a royalty or was repaid via a royalty.

Equity is the most simple and common investment type. This involves the shark taking an ownership stake in a company for a given amount of money. Deals classified as an equity deal do not involve any other conditions such as royalties or other payback terms. Equity/Debt deals do involve a degree of payback, though typically through loan terms and not a royalty which are classified as Equity/Royalty deals.

Then there are, of course straight Royalty deals in which the shark, in return for their capital, receives an amount of money per item sold. This might be $1 for every widget sold or 50 cents per bag of cookies.

Lastly, there are the two most rare types of deal. IP deals where the intellectual property behind a company is purchased and buyout where the entire company is purchased by a shark or sharks.