Shark Tank is the American adaptation of the British television series Dragons' Den.
The American programme preserves the central format: entrepreneurs present businesses to a panel of wealthy investors and seek money in exchange for equity. The principal branding changes the animal metaphor from dragons to sharks, reflecting the American title and investor identities.
Shark Tank premiered in the United States in 2009 on ABC. It was based on the international Dragons' Den format, which itself traces back to Japan’s Money Tigers. The programmes therefore share a recognizable pitch structure while featuring different investors, companies and production decisions.
The Profit is sometimes suggested as an alternative because it is also an American business programme, but it is not the American version of Dragons' Den. Likewise, Shark Tank is not a renamed British series: it is a separate US adaptation made for its own television market.