The investors on the British television programme Dragon's Den are called dragons.
The title reflects the programme's name and its presentation of investors as powerful, experienced business figures who scrutinise proposals before deciding whether to offer money. Entrepreneurs typically request a specific sum in return for a percentage of their company.
The terminology differs between international adaptations. The American version is called Shark Tank and uses “sharks” for its investors, while the Japanese origin format used the title Money Tigers. Those related names are a frequent source of mix-ups in general trivia.
Within the British programme, “dragon” is the canonical term for each investor on the panel. It does not describe the entrepreneurs, the presenter or the production team; it specifically identifies the businesspeople considering investment offers.