Alan Sugar founded Amstrad before becoming a dragon on Dragons' Den.
Sugar established Amstrad in 1968, naming the company from his initials and the word “trading.” The business first sold consumer electronics and later became especially known for affordable home computers, including the Amstrad CPC range launched in the 1980s.
He joined the British Dragons' Den panel in the programme’s first series. His direct negotiating style and emphasis on sales, margins and practical execution became distinctive parts of his appearances.
Sugar left the regular panel after the first series, so he is not the same as the long-serving investors who remained for many seasons. He later became widely known as Lord Sugar after receiving a life peerage in 2009. The Amstrad business was sold to BSkyB in 2007.