In Dragon's Den, the business investors who question entrepreneurs are called Dragons.
The name refers to the powerful investors seated in the studio, each of whom can decide whether to offer money for an ownership stake in a business. Entrepreneurs generally present their products, state the investment they want and name the percentage of equity they are prepared to offer.
The term is specific to this franchise and its international adaptations. The comparable American programme Shark Tank uses “sharks” instead, which is why the two labels are often mixed up. In the British programme, “Dragon” is the standard title whether the investor is male or female.
The investors are not employees of the BBC and do not automatically complete every deal shown on screen. A televised agreement is normally subject to later due diligence, negotiation and legal contracts, so an offer made in the studio can change or fail afterward.