The Japanese television programme Money Tigers is the original format behind the British show Dragons' Den.
Money Tigers provided the basic structure later adapted in Britain: entrepreneurs present business ideas to a panel of wealthy potential investors and seek money in return for an ownership stake. The investors question the pitch, assess its commercial prospects and decide whether to make an offer.
The format travelled internationally because its central conflict is easy to understand across cultures. A contestant must explain a product, defend a valuation and respond to experienced businesspeople who may challenge the figures or the plan. Different countries changed the title, panel and production details while retaining that investment-pitch framework.
Dragons' Den is therefore not an entirely British invention, even though the BBC version developed its own recognisable identity. The American programme Shark Tank is another adaptation of the same international format, which is why the two shows are sometimes incorrectly treated as unrelated concepts.