HeroCovers Shark Tank Update: Kevin O'Leary Paid Full Price — Then Added a $50-a-Cover Royalty

HeroCovers got its ask, plus a royalty. Graphic: Geeks Around Globe

Across the first six episodes of Season 18, twenty-four founders walked in with a number and nineteen walked out with a deal. Only one pair got the exact valuation they asked for: HeroCovers, in Episode 6 ("Kevin in a Head Lock," aired November 4, 2026). Kevin O'Leary gave them $250,000 for 5% — and attached a $50 royalty on every cover until he gets his money back. Here is what that royalty really costs, why it was still the cheapest offer in the room, and the one number in the pitch that doesn't add up.

Quick Answer

HeroCovers makes custom-fit car covers printed with a photo of the owner's own car — a 1-of-1 cover that looks like the vehicle underneath. Founders Cody J. Brdar and Jordan Rubin, with WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg as partner and on-stage hype man, asked $250,000 for 5% ($5M valuation). After offers from Kevin, Daniel Lubetzky, Kendra Scott, Lori Greiner and Rashaun Williams, they took Kevin O'Leary's $250,000 for 5% plus $50 per cover until $250,000 is repaid. On air they reported $7.5 million in lifetime sales, $1.4 million this year, a $745 custom cover that costs $240 to make, and customer acquisition cost down from $120 to $45.

HeroCovers at a glance

Before and after: a Shelby Cobra under a cover printed with a photo of itself. Photo courtesy of HeroCovers

What is HeroCovers?

Upload photos of your car, approve a 3D render within 48 hours, and six to eight weeks later a cover arrives that is cut to your exact body shape and printed with your exact paint, wheels and badges. The base indoor cover is stretchy padded scuba fabric; waterproof outdoor fabric adds $95 and a diamond-quilted collector version adds $150. SUVs add $100, trucks $150, hypercars $255. Owners can add their own logos or text, or buy licensed designs — Hot Wheels liveries, NBA teams, Shelby stripes. Plain premium covers start at $225; boat covers from about $1,000.

The hook is social: a cover that looks like a Lamborghini sitting in a parking lot stops people, and HeroCovers says its videos have hundreds of millions of organic views across 75-plus countries.

Who founded HeroCovers?

Cody Brdar and Jordan Rubin are childhood friends from the St. Louis area. Brdar studied cyber security at Maryville University, then worked in marketing and automotive sales, including at the car brokerage Motorenn; Rubin is a professional automotive photographer whose images make the print possible. They started in September 2023 with roughly $100,000 of their own money. Bill Goldberg, a serious car collector, joined publicly in June 2025 with the launch of the Shelby collection and is described by the company as a partner. The site also lists Tony Hawk among its custom-cover customers.

Every cover is sewn to order after the customer approves a 3D render. Photo courtesy of HeroCovers

What happened on Shark Tank?

Goldberg ripped a cover off a red sports car to reveal an identical red sports car — and later put Kevin in a headlock, which gave the episode its title. Then the founders gave the numbers: $7.5M lifetime, $1.4M this year, $745 price, $240 cost, $45 CAC. Every Shark but one made an offer:

1. Kevin O'Leary: $250,000 for 15%.
2. Daniel Lubetzky: $250,000 for 15%, later joined by Kendra Scott at $250,000 for 10% plus a $50-per-unit royalty.
3. Lori Greiner and Rashaun Williams: $250,000 for 12%, later restructured as a $250,000 loan over 18 months plus 10% advisory shares.
4. Kevin, revised: $250,000 for the founders' own 5%, plus a $50 royalty per cover until $250,000 is recouped.

They took Kevin.

Deal snapshot

Only on GAG: the royalty, counted in covers

Connect the dots:

1. The royalty is 5,000 covers. $250,000 at $50 each. At $745 a cover that is about $3.7M of revenue flowing through before Kevin's meter stops. At the $1.4M pace stated for this year — roughly 2,000 covers — the royalty runs about two and a half years. Then Kevin keeps 5% of the company for nothing more than the $250,000 he has already had back.
2. It was still the cheapest deal — by the founders' own valuation. Versus Lori and Rashaun's 12% straight, Kevin's structure costs $250,000 in royalties instead of 7 extra points. Seven points equal $250,000 at a $3.57M company. HeroCovers asked at $5M; if they believe their own number, Kevin's deal leaves them better off. Versus Lubetzky and Kendra's 10% plus the same royalty, Kevin's is simply half the equity for the same royalty — no contest.
3. $50 is 10% of the gross profit, not of the price. A $745 cover costs $240 to make and $45 to sell, leaving $460 of contribution. Kevin's $50 is 7% of revenue but 10% of gross margin — a manageable toll on a product this fat, and the reason the founders could say yes.
4. The one number that needs a question. $7.5M lifetime sales for a company founded in September 2023, with $1.4M "this year," means roughly $6.1M was booked across 2024 and 2025 — and that 2026 is running well below that pace. Either "this year" was a partial year-to-date figure, or the viral surge has cooled. Nobody on the panel asked which. It is the first thing we would check in due diligence.
5. Zero haircut is the headline. In our Season 18 Dilution Index the median founder gave up 55% of their asking valuation. HeroCovers gave up none. Kevin accepted the $5M price because the royalty makes his effective entry price far lower — which is the whole point of a royalty.

The Lamborghini cover that went viral and seeded the business. Photo courtesy of HeroCovers

How does HeroCovers make money?

Made-to-order, direct-to-consumer, with nothing sewn until the render is approved — so there is no inventory risk and the customer funds production. The custom cover is the engine ($595 base online, ~$745 as quoted on air with options), with a long tail of plain covers from $225, floor mats from $99 and boat covers from $1,000. Licensed designs (Hot Wheels, NBA, Shelby) add a second revenue line and a reason for collectors to buy more than one. Retail reach runs through Amazon, AmericanMuscle and ExtremeTerrain, and the company works the car-show circuit: SEMA in Las Vegas this November, NASCAR events in October, Fanatics Fest in July.

HeroCovers after Shark Tank

What to watch: whether the 2026 run-rate recovers toward the 2024–25 level once the episode airs, and how quickly the 5,000-cover royalty clock runs. A SEMA order book would answer both.

Lessons for founders

• A royalty is how a Shark pays your price. If you want zero haircut, expect a per-unit toll until payback.
• Translate royalties into units and years. 5,000 covers and 2.5 years is a number you can plan around; "$50 a unit" is not.
• Lifetime vs this-year numbers must tell one story. If they don't, explain it before a Shark notices — or, as here, before a journalist does.

Final take

HeroCovers is the strongest consumer-margin business in Season 18 so far — $505 of gross profit on every sale, no inventory, and a product that markets itself every time it sits in a parking lot. Kevin's deal is clever for both sides: the founders keep their $5M valuation, Kevin gets his money back in covers. The open question is the trajectory hidden inside "$7.5M lifetime, $1.4M this year." Answer that, and you know whether 5% at $5M was a bargain or a ceiling.

FAQ

Did HeroCovers get a deal on Shark Tank? Yes — $250,000 for 5% from Kevin O'Leary, plus a $50 royalty per cover until he recoups $250,000.

How much does a HeroCover cost? Custom photo-printed covers start at $595 online (about $745 with options as quoted on air); plain premium covers from $225.

Is Bill Goldberg an owner of HeroCovers? The company describes him as a partner; his stake has not been disclosed.

How long does a HeroCover take? A 3D render in 48 hours, then 6–8 weeks of production after approval.

Which episode was HeroCovers on? Season 18, Episode 6, "Kevin in a Head Lock," aired November 4, 2026.

More Shark Tank Season 18 updates

• Shark Tank Season 18 episode guide and the GAG Dilution Index
• Vulcan Pest Shark Tank update — another royalty showdown with Kevin
• Polygons Shark Tank update
• Ellavate Shark Tank update

Sources

• ABC's Shark Tank, Season 18, Episode 6 (on-air figures and offers); Shark Tank Global clip on YouTube
• herocovers.com product pages (pricing, options, production times, Shark Tank offer)
• Shark Tank Insights, The Cinemaholic, Moviedelic and Shark Tank Index episode pages
• GAG Season 18 Dilution Index (our own computation from on-air terms)