Money Tigers was the original Japanese business television format that inspired BBC's Dragon's Den.
The Japanese programme established the key setup later used by Dragon's Den: entrepreneurs present business proposals to a panel of wealthy potential investors and seek funding in return for a share of their company. The format was created for Nippon Television and became the model for international adaptations.
Dragon's Den uses a different title and local terminology, but its basic structure remains recognisable. In Britain, investors are called dragons, while in some other adaptations the panel has a different name. The American adaptation, for example, is known as Shark Tank.
A common mix-up is to treat Dragon's Den as an entirely original British concept because the BBC version developed its own visual style, cast and memorable negotiations. The underlying format, however, came from Japan. The title Money Tigers therefore identifies the source programme, not a British spin-off or a particular investment deal.