The investors on the British show Dragon's Den are collectively nicknamed the Dragons.
The name comes directly from the programme's title and its imagery. Each investor is presented as a powerful business figure who may choose to fund an entrepreneur, negotiate for a different ownership stake or decline the proposal.
The term is specific to the British programme and related versions using the Dragon's Den title. It should not be confused with “sharks,” the nickname used for investors in the separate American programme Shark Tank. Both shows involve business pitches, but their panel names and format histories are different.
Individual members are normally called Dragons in the programme's publicity and conversation. The plural phrase “the Dragons” therefore identifies the panel as a group rather than naming one particular investor.