Deborah Meaden became a Dragon on the British TV series Dragons' Den in 2006 after replacing Rachel Elnaugh.
Meaden was already known as a businesswoman and investor before joining the BBC programme. Her background included family business, hospitality and leisure ventures, giving her experience relevant to many of the pitches shown on the programme.
The timing is sometimes confused with later Dragons. Hilary Devey joined in 2011, Kelly Hoppen joined in 2013, and Sara Davies joined in 2019. Meaden remained one of the programme's most recognisable investors and continued appearing in later series.
Dragons' Den is based on the Japanese format Money Tigers. Entrepreneurs present businesses to a panel of investors and seek funding in exchange for an ownership stake.