Atlanta’s Rashaun Williams gets full-time ‘Shark Tank’ status in his own town
Atlanta-based venture capitalist Rashaun Williams first got a taste of “Shark Tank” when he appeared on three episodes as a guest investor two years ago.
He liked it. “Shark Tank” then gave him six episodes last season. He’s been upgraded to a full-time Shark for the show’s 18th season, which returns today on ABC, then Hulu and Disney+ Thursday.
“I’m excited, man,” Williams told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a recent Zoom interview. “I never thought that this is something a little kid from the south side of Chicago would be able to do. But I think I’m getting used to it a little bit. I’m making money and I feel like I’m able to educate people and take my financial literacy campaign on the road.”
The series also moved from Los Angeles to metro Atlanta at Tyler Perry Studios this past June.
“I’m home,” Williams said. “My family was able to come. My friends were able to come. I felt like I had a little home-court advantage this time. I honestly felt like I was more myself and more comfortable. You go to L.A., it’s very intimidating.”
Williams, a 2001 Morehouse College graduate who has lived in Atlanta in recent years, said he’s invested in about 200 companies over the past two decades and has so far cashed out on 60 of them. Some were true home runs like commission-free investing app Robinhood, cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, mattress and sleep products company Casper and smart doorbell and home security company Ring.
So when “Shark Tank” first approached Williams to be a guest Shark, he hesitated. “I had the same misunderstanding with ‘Shark Tank’ that most of your readers may have,” he said. “I thought it wasn’t real. I’m a real investor. This is what I do professionally. I don’t want people to think I’m not a serious person. I’m not a reality guy.”
But he said it’s very real. He knows nothing about the entrepreneurs until they show up with their pitch. They typically talk to the Sharks for 40 minutes to an hour, a discussion condensed to 8 to 12 minutes for TV.
And just because Sharks say yes on camera doesn’t mean they will actually invest in the company. They get to do proper due diligence after the taping.
“I’m still doing due diligence on companies from our tapings in June,” he said. “I do what I normally do as a venture capitalist except ‘Shark Tank’ vets 10,000 companies and brings the best and brightest to us. I didn’t have to scour the Earth to find these opportunities.”
Williams also wondered if he’d work well with veteran Sharks like Daymond John, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner and Kevin “Mr. Wonderful” O’Leary.
“I had no idea how they’d respond to me,” he said. Fortunately, they bonded well and he is now getting used to be part of the regular crew.
“My face is in all the advertisements with the other Sharks,” he said. “They did a whole photo shoot. I had never done this stuff before.”
He is joined by fellow new full-time Shark and Texas fashion designer Kendra Scott, who married Georgia musician Zac Brown in May.
“They always pair us together,” he said. “She has this Southern charm but she’s vicious in the tank. I see it coming from a mile away. When she starts sweet-talking these entrepreneurs, calling them ‘Honey,’ I know she’s ready to slit their throats and cut their valuation in half with a smile on her face!”
Working with the other Sharks meant coming up with creative investment deals.
“I did a few royalty deals with Kevin O’Leary. Who would have ever thought that?” Williams said. “A royalty structure reduces your risk by getting some cash out of the business. It also helps the entrepreneur retain a bigger percentage of equity.”
So far, he said he has publicly invested money in three companies. (He can’t yet reveal what he invested in for Season 18.)
Entrepreneurs from Ventura, California created a digital, at-home 3D scanning process that eliminates the need for messy, traditional dental molds to create a properly fitted mouthguard. Williams, who works with athletes as investors, invested $750,000 in exchange for 10% equity during the Season 16 debut. The company has seen sales rise since appearing on “Shark Tank” as more leagues and athletes use the guard. “I’ve introduced TruFIT to celebrities and athletes I know,” Williams said. “Some have become brand ambassadors.”
This Alabama company manufactures large, pre-portioned custom black tea and flavored brew bags to make classic Southern iced tea. They built a following via Southern grandma influencers online, then landed a $500,000 deal for 15% equity from Greiner and Williams during the fifth episode of Season 16.
This Wilmington, Massachusetts, company targets athletes with a mess-free, grip-enhancing powder designed to strip away natural skin oils. During the same episode as Y’all Sweet Tea, Williams joined O’Leary in a $400,000 investment for a combined 4% equity in Chalkless with a royalty deal included.
Williams, a limited partner with the Atlanta Falcons since 2024, was able to get Chalkless in front of different athletes, and he said the company’s sales have tripled over the past two years.
So far, he said he has enjoyed working with the Falcons, though the team hasn’t had a winning season since 2017.
“Things can change on a dime,” he said. “You can’t count anybody out. Guys can get healthy and have seasons that will blow your mind. And you know what shuts down all the haters? Winning.”
And while he acknowledges that not all billionaires are saints, Williams said he interacted with two whom he likes and respects: Falcons owner Arthur Blank and former Shark Mark Cuban.
“They are happy, kind selfless people who are also smart and ambitious,” he said. “I have never seen guys who are busier and work harder for the level they’re at. And it isn’t just their balance sheet that matters. It’s their philanthropy and what they’ve done for their communities.”