In BBC Dragons' Den, an entrepreneur’s initial pitch is usually limited to three minutes.
The pitch is the opening presentation in which a business owner explains the product or service, describes the company, and states the investment and share offer being sought. A visible countdown helps create the programme’s distinctive pressure before the Dragons begin asking questions.
The three-minute limit applies to the formal opening pitch, not to the entire appearance. The question-and-answer discussion that follows can last much longer, especially when the Dragons investigate sales, margins, intellectual property, valuation and the entrepreneur’s plans.
This format is easy to confuse with the total time a contestant spends in the room. Editing also means the broadcast version is not a complete real-time record of every exchange. The important distinction is between the short initial presentation and the longer negotiation that follows it.