Shark Tank is the American adaptation of the format used by the British television show Dragons' Den.
Shark Tank premiered in the United States in 2009 and presents entrepreneurs to a panel of wealthy investors. The American programme uses “sharks” rather than “dragons,” reflecting a localised version of the same investment-pitch concept.
Both shows ultimately trace their format lineage to the Japanese programme Money no Tora. The names of investors, deal structures and broadcast histories differ between countries, so Shark Tank is not simply a renamed British series. It is a separately produced American adaptation that became a major business-reality programme in its own right.