Last week was the debut of Shark Tank Live !! For the first time, the Sharks and the Entrepreneurs met on Live TV in front of a live audience. The pitches and following discussions were pretty quick. The Shark's egos were all on overdrive, and unlike the traditional format, every entrepreneur left with a "deal."
I was not a fan of the live format. As I understand it, in the traditional format, there are long conversations in the studio, and we see clips of them for the TV version. However, there did not seem to be the time in the live format to have a thoughtful conversation, dig into a business, and give an entrepreneur some guidance.
In addition, I have my standing beef with Shark Tank. Where are the lenders !! There are more options for entrepreneurs than just raising equity of expensive private debt from an angel investor. We owe it to our kids who are watching the show to understand the overall landscape.