The American television series Shark Tank, related to Dragon's Den, premiered in 2009.
Shark Tank is the United States adaptation of the international entrepreneur-pitching format associated with Dragon's Den. Instead of dragons, its investors are called sharks, but the basic arrangement is similar: founders present businesses, request funding and offer an ownership stake.
The US version was developed for American television with a different panel, presenter and production context. Kevin O'Leary became one of its best-known investors, while other prominent sharks included Barbara Corcoran, Daymond John, Robert Herjavec, Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner. The panel has changed over the years.
The year is sometimes mixed up with the British premiere of Dragon's Den, which began in 2005, or with the Japanese programme that inspired the international format. Shark Tank's 2009 launch therefore belongs specifically to the American adaptation, not to the original Japanese concept or the BBC series.