Shark Tank was the title used for the United States adaptation of the Dragon's Den business-pitch format.
The programme places entrepreneurs in front of a panel of wealthy investors, who are called Sharks rather than Dragons. Contestants present their companies, state how much money they want and offer a percentage of ownership in return. The investors can question the proposal, make competing offers or decline.
Shark Tank premiered in the United States in 2009 on ABC. It is part of the international family descended from the Japanese format Money Tigers, which was later adapted in Britain as Dragon's Den.
A frequent mistake is to treat Shark Tank as merely a renamed British series. It is a separately produced American adaptation, with its own presenters, investors, companies and broadcast history. The shared pitch-and-negotiation structure is the connection between the programmes.