The British Dragon's Den is based on the Japanese television format Money Tigers.
Money Tigers was created in Japan and provided the basic structure later adapted for broadcasters around the world. Entrepreneurs present business proposals to established investors, who decide whether the idea merits financial backing.
The British title changes the animal imagery from tigers to dragons, but the central tension remains the same: founders must explain their product, finances, valuation and investment request under questioning. This makes the format portable across different business cultures.
Money Tigers is sometimes mixed up with Shark Tank, the American adaptation. Shark Tank is another version of the same broad international format, whereas Money Tigers is the Japanese programme that supplied the original source format for Dragon's Den.