Money Tigers was the original Japanese investment programme behind the BBC's Dragon's Den.
The Japanese format was created by Nippon TV and is known as Money Tigers, or Money no Tora in its original title. Entrepreneurs presented business ideas to a panel of wealthy investors, seeking funding in exchange for a stake in their companies.
The British programme retained the central structure but changed the branding, calling its investors Dragons rather than Tigers. This title reflected the British adaptation's more theatrical presentation while preserving the key ingredients: a short pitch, detailed questioning and a negotiation over equity.
Money Tigers should not be confused with Shark Tank, the American format. Shark Tank is another adaptation of the same broader investment-show concept, but it is not the Japanese programme that directly inspired Dragon's Den.