Spikeball

Spikeball is the brand behind roundnet, a fast two-on-two game played around a small circular net set on the ground. Players bounce a ball off the net and the other team has three touches to return it, a bit like volleyball crossed with four square. Chris Ruder, a Chicago entrepreneur who first played a similar game in the 1980s, revived the concept in 2008 and built it into a real sport with leagues, tournaments, and a growing fan base.

Ruder came to the Tank asking 500,000 dollars for a 10 percent stake, with strong sales and an obvious community of players behind him. Daymond John saw the upside and made an offer, but he wanted control over licensing, manufacturing, and retail along with a larger equity share. Ruder shook hands on television, but the terms gave away more control of the brand than he was comfortable with.

What made Spikeball memorable was the aftermath rather than the handshake. Ruder ultimately walked away from the deal, betting that he could grow the company on his own terms. That decision became a frequently cited Shark Tank story about valuing control over a quick cash injection, and it has aged well given how large the roundnet community has since become.

Even without the televised deal closing, Spikeball kept growing quickly after the episode aired. The exposure introduced the game to a much wider audience, sales climbed into the tens of millions per year, and the brand pushed roundnet toward recognition as an organized sport with sanctioned tournaments and a dedicated tour series.

Spikeball remains a privately held, independent company in 2026, still led by its founder rather than absorbed by an outside owner. The brand continues to run competitive roundnet events and sells its sets worldwide. It stands as one of the better known examples of a company that turned down a shark and thrived by keeping control of its own direction.