Alan Sugar, the founder of Amstrad, became a Dragon on the British television series Dragons' Den.
Sugar joined the programme's original investor panel in 2005. He brought extensive experience from Amstrad, the consumer-electronics company he founded in 1968. The business became known for products including hi-fi equipment, satellite television hardware and personal computers.
His direct, highly competitive manner made him one of the most distinctive investors in the early British series. Sugar was also already a prominent business personality through his ownership of Tottenham Hotspur and his public profile as a self-made entrepreneur.
Peter Jones and Duncan Bannatyne were other major Dragons, but neither founded Amstrad. Richard Branson is another famous British entrepreneur, yet he was not a regular Dragon on the British programme. The Amstrad connection uniquely identifies Sugar.