The investors on the UK show Dragon's Den are professionally titled “dragons.”
The term is part of the programme's branding and distinguishes the British version from related adaptations. Entrepreneurs enter the den and present their companies to a panel of dragons, each of whom may offer investment in return for equity.
The dragons are not employees of one investment firm. They are independent entrepreneurs and business investors with different industries, personalities and approaches to risk. A founder may receive an offer from one dragon, several dragons working together or none at all.
The American adaptation uses the term “sharks,” which is why viewers sometimes answer that word when thinking of a business-pitch television programme. The Japanese source format used tiger imagery, while the UK adaptation chose dragons. In this context, “dragon” is a formal on-screen role within the show, not a legal category of investor.