Who was the first female investor to join the BBC television programme Dragon's Den?

Rachel Elnaugh was the first female investor to join the BBC television programme Dragon's Den.

Elnaugh became one of the original dragons in the British series when it launched in 2005. She was known for her entrepreneurial career and for co-founding Red Letter Days, a company selling experience gifts. Her presence gave the original investor panel a female business perspective from the beginning of the UK adaptation.

Deborah Meaden later became the programme's most enduring female dragon, joining the panel after Elnaugh's departure. That history can lead to confusion between the first woman on the panel and the woman most strongly associated with the series over many years.

Rachel Elnaugh's tenure was relatively short compared with several later dragons, but her position in the show's launch panel makes her the correct answer to this historical question.