In the UK series Dragons' Den, which Japanese programme inspired the format?

The UK series Dragons' Den was inspired by the Japanese programme Money Tigers. The Japanese format placed entrepreneurs before successful businesspeople, who listened to proposals and decided whether to provide funding.

Money Tigers is commonly identified by its Japanese title, Manee no Tora, and it established the core idea later adapted in several countries: an entrepreneur asks for money in exchange for a stake or other negotiated deal. The British version translated the concept into its own setting and called its investors Dragons.

The format should not be confused with The Apprentice. Both programmes involve business and competing candidates, but The Apprentice is built around tasks, hiring and managerial judgment rather than entrepreneurs pitching their existing businesses for investment. Shark Tank is another related adaptation, but it is the US version, not the Japanese source programme.

The success of the concept led to versions in many territories. The UK production therefore belongs to a global format family while retaining distinctive British investors, presenters, terminology and business stories.