The investors on the BBC's Dragons' Den are nicknamed dragons.
The nickname supplies the programme with its title and presents the investors as formidable business figures whom entrepreneurs must impress. Each dragon brings personal experience, capital and commercial judgement to the pitch room.
The term is specific to this programme’s branding and its international family of similarly named adaptations. American viewers may associate investors with “sharks” because of Shark Tank, while the Japanese source format used the image of tigers. Those labels belong to different versions and should not be substituted when identifying the British show.
In practical terms, the dragons function as potential investors. They ask about revenue, costs, ownership and growth, then decide whether a proposal merits an offer. The nickname is theatrical, but the decisions concern ordinary business questions such as valuation, market demand and execution.