The investors who sit on the panel of the British television series Dragon's Den are commonly called Dragons.
The title is part of the programme's central branding. Entrepreneurs enter the Den and present their businesses to several wealthy investors, who decide whether the opportunity is attractive enough to justify an offer.
A Dragon may offer money in return for a percentage of the company, sometimes alone and sometimes alongside another Dragon. The negotiation can change the proposed valuation, equity share or investment conditions before an agreement is reached.
The term differs between international adaptations. Some versions use “sharks” or other investor labels, and the Japanese source format used tiger imagery. For the British series, however, “Dragons” is the standard collective name.