Millions of Americans tune into the popular tv show Shark Tank, to watch ambitious entrepreneurs pitch an investment opportunity to a panel of celebrity angel investors. And while entertaining and educational, the deal terms are notoriously harsh and far worse than what is standard for a typical venture capital (or, VC) investment. According to Yahoo Finance, the average Shark Tank investment per deal is just over $300,000, with average equity taken at 24.99%. On the other hand, it is not uncommon for start-ups with no product or market validation to raise what is called a “pre-seed round” of $2-3 million in venture capital, at a $6-8 million pre-money valuation, giving up around 15-20% of the business. READ MORE