Money Tigers was the first Japanese programme that inspired the Dragons' Den format.
The Japanese title is Money no Tora, commonly translated into English as Money Tigers. The programme established the key premise later used by Dragons' Den: entrepreneurs faced wealthy investors and asked for capital to develop their businesses.
The format’s international success came from its simple dramatic question: will an investor risk money on this business? Every national version changes names, language and sometimes presentation style, but the negotiation remains the central engine. In Britain, the investors became Dragons; in the United States, they became Sharks.
Money Tigers is sometimes overlooked because the British title became the phrase most familiar to English-speaking audiences. However, the British programme is not the original creation. It is one of many licensed or adapted versions of the Japanese concept, which is why the show has close relatives around the world.