Alan Sugar founded Amstrad before becoming the central investor on the British programme Dragon's Den.
Sugar established Amstrad in 1968, using the name formed from his own surname and the company name R. S. Amstrad. The business became associated with consumer electronics, including audio equipment, home computers and telecommunications products.
Amstrad's best-known computing products included the CPC range of home computers, which were sold widely in Britain and Europe during the 1980s. Sugar's success at Amstrad made him one of Britain's most prominent business personalities long before his television career.
Sugar is sometimes confused with Dragon's Den investors who built retail empires or technology start-ups, but Amstrad is his defining entrepreneurial company. His television role on The Apprentice is also separate from his association with Dragon's Den, where he appeared as an investor in the British format.