Dragon's Den was adapted from the Japanese business reality show Money Tigers.
The Japanese format placed entrepreneurs in front of wealthy potential investors and asked them to seek funding for their businesses. The British adaptation retained the central pitch-and-negotiation structure while giving the investors the title “Dragons.”
Money Tigers was created in Japan before the format was licensed internationally. The UK version began broadcasting in 2005 and helped make the format familiar to British audiences. Its direct business-pitch structure also influenced later international adaptations.
The programme is sometimes linked mainly with the US series Shark Tank, but Shark Tank is another adaptation of the same broad format rather than the UK show's original source. In Britain, the defining title and terminology are Dragon's Den and Dragons.