In 'Shark Tank', the people who present business ideas to investors are called entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneurs enter the Tank to pitch products, companies, or services to a panel of investors known as the Sharks. They usually request a specific amount of money in exchange for an ownership percentage, known as equity. Sharks may offer, negotiate, collaborate, or decline to invest.
The US series premiered on ABC in 2009 and is based on the Japanese format 'Money Tigers', through the British adaptation 'Dragons' Den'. Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John, and Kevin O'Leary are among the best-known Sharks associated with the program.
The term entrepreneur applies to the business founder or representative making the pitch. The investors are not called entrepreneurs merely because they own businesses; in the show's terminology, they are the Sharks.