Things You May Not Know About Shark Tank

Frequent viewers have likely noticed that most sharks demand (and usually receive) far more equity than contestants were originally willing to offer. As many entrepreneurs note, the benefits of having a shark as a business partner go far beyond the strictly financial. Sharks require a lot of equity because they know their investments are going to be taking up a great deal of their time, as they're all very hands-on.

Cuban in particular is heavy on resources, and as a matter of course will often have his companies take over the entire back end for his Shark Tank investments, including "their accounting, website, packaging design, and more." Daymond John has a different approach, saying to Business Insider, "I generally like a deal where we can become partners and I can help with all the licensing and branding. And then I can also tap into my network of social influencers and celebrities to get them to sell more." O'Leary promises his entrepreneurs "the support of [his] entire team," with "the same goal as the entrepreneur: Bring in cash flow. I'll do anything to make sure that happens." 

They all claim massive success with their Shark Tank portfolios; Cuban said at a Wall Street Journal conference (via Business Insider) that out of 71 companies he's invested in through the show, "two have gone out of business, three are so stupid they don't know they're out of business, and then probably 50, give or take, are in growth."