The British business-pitch programme Dragons' Den was inspired by the Japanese television format Money Tigers.
Money Tigers was created in Japan as a format built around entrepreneurs seeking investment from wealthy businesspeople. The concept was adapted internationally, with each country changing the investor panel, presenter, language and local business context while retaining the basic pitch-and-negotiate structure.
The British version uses Dragons rather than the Japanese programme's terminology, and its contestants generally ask for a specific sum in exchange for a stated equity percentage. A Dragon can accept, reject or make a counteroffer, producing the negotiations that define the series.
Money Tigers is sometimes mixed up with Shark Tank, but Shark Tank is the American adaptation of the same broader format family. In Britain, the internationally licensed programme became known as Dragons' Den and premiered in 2005.