The Japanese television programme behind the British series Dragon's Den is Money Tigers.
Money Tigers was a Japanese business-pitch programme created for Nippon Television. Its format placed entrepreneurs before successful businesspeople, who considered whether to invest their own money in return for a stake in the proposed venture. That structure became the foundation for the wider Dragons' Den franchise.
The format was adapted in numerous countries, with local versions changing the title, panel and business culture while retaining the central negotiation between founders and investors. In the United Kingdom, the investors became known as dragons, a title that distinguishes the programme from some other international adaptations.
A common mix-up is to identify Shark Tank as the original source. Shark Tank is the American adaptation of the same broader format, not the Japanese programme that originated it. The Japanese connection explains why versions around the world share the same core ingredients: a pitch, a requested valuation, a negotiation and the possibility of an equity deal.