Which British entrepreneur was the first female dragon on Dragons' Den?

Rachel Elnaugh was the first female dragon on the British TV show Dragons' Den.

Elnaugh joined the original British investment panel when the programme launched in 2005. She was known for founding Red Letter Days, a company selling experience gifts such as driving and leisure activities.

Her role was historically significant because she was the first woman to serve as one of the show's British dragons. Deborah Meaden later became one of the programme's most prominent and longest-serving female investors, but she was not the first.

Elnaugh left the panel after the programme's first series. Rachel Elnaugh is therefore distinct from Deborah Meaden, who later replaced her and became a continuing public face of the programme.