Five investors were on the original launch panel of the British TV series Dragons' Den.
The first panel consisted of Peter Jones, Duncan Bannatyne, Rachel Elnaugh, Doug Richard and Simon Woodroffe. Together, they established the group of businesspeople who would assess entrepreneurs' pitches when the British adaptation began in 2005.
The number five describes the original panel, not every later series. The line-up changed as investors left and replacements joined, so later episodes may show a different combination of dragons. Peter Jones is the only member of that launch panel who continued into the later years of the programme.
The panel's role is to decide whether a pitch merits investment. A dragon can make an offer alone or join another investor, and the entrepreneur can accept, reject or negotiate the proposed terms. Being on the panel does not mean every dragon invests in every business; many pitches end without a deal.