Dragons' Den
{{short description|Reality television program format}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{italic title}}
{{Infobox media franchise
| title = Dragons' Den
| image =
| creator = Nippon TV
| origin = The Tigers of Money ({{langx|ja|マネーの虎|manē no tora|label=none}}) (Japan)
| owner = Nippon TV
| years = 2001–present
| tv = Dragons' Den (see franchises)
| otherlabel1 = Genre
| otherdata1 = Reality television
| otherlabel2 = First aired
| otherdata2 = {{Start date and age|2001|df=y}}
| otherlabel3 = Distributor
| otherdata3 = Sony Pictures Television
| website =
}}
Dragons' Den is a reality television program format in which entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a panel of venture capitalists in the hope of securing investment finance from them. The program originated in 2001 in Japan, where it is known as The Tigers of Money ({{langx|ja|マネーの虎| manē no tora}}), a pun on "The Tiger of Malaya" ({{langx|ja|マレーの虎|marē no tora|label=none}}), which was the nickname of WWII general Tomoyuki Yamashita.{{Cite news |last=Tanaka |first=Yuki |date=1 September 2008 |title=Last Words of the Tiger of Malaya, General Yamashita Tomoyuki |work=JapanFocus |url=http://japanfocus.org/-Yuki-TANAKA/1753 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016062221/http://in.reuters.com/article/2008/09/01/us-afghan-entrepreneurs-idINISL13086720080901 |archive-date=16 October 2013}} The format was created and is owned by Nippon TV and is distributed by Sony Pictures Television.
Local versions of the show have been produced in over 40 countries, as well as one for the Arab world; in some countries, more than one version has been aired. The first version to air outside of Japan was the British programme Dragons' Den, which launched in 2005; in the several years afterward, most versions named themselves Dragons' Den or variations thereof, though some also used other animals in the title, such as lions. Since the launch of the American version of the show, Shark Tank, in 2009, many versions have been named Shark Tank or variations thereof. In versions where the name of the show contains a creature's name, the investors are referred to by that name. The Israeli version of the show, HaKrishim ("The Sharks"), was the first to use the "shark" moniker, during its launch in 2006.
Format
The contestants are usually inventors, product designers, or service operators who have what they consider to be a viable and potentially very profitable business idea, but who lack funding and/or business acumen. They pitch their idea to five rich entrepreneurial businesspeople, who in most iterations of the show are referred to as "dragons", "tigers" (in the original Japanese show), "lions" or "sharks". Before the show, the contestants have named a specific amount of money that they wish to get along with a percentage in the business that the contestant is offering to sell to the investors. The rules stipulate that if they do not raise at least this amount from the dragons, they get nothing. In return, the contestant gives the dragons a percentage of the company's capital stock, which is the chief point of negotiation. The program does not show the entire pitch as scenes are selected and edited from the episode due to time constraints.
The dragons probe the idea further once the contestant has made the presentation. This will either reveal a sound business proposition resulting in an investment offer from one or more of the dragons in return for equity or a withdrawal from the transaction by either the contestant or all of the dragons. A rejection by the dragons is often given as "I'm out" which is usually triggered (in the investor's opinion) by the investor asking for a larger equity stake in the business than the contestant wants to give up, the contestant's valuation on the business being too high compared to its overall profits, the product not having any proprietary value, or the investor's belief that they cannot add value to the business. Sometimes the dragons identify troubling facts such as an embarrassing lack of preparation on the part of the contestant, the contestant's lack of business knowledge, their perceived margins, competitors, insufficient sales, or high manufacturing costs. Contestants often negotiate and barter with the investors. The deals agreed to on the program may or may not actually be carried through.
International adaptations
:{{color box|#90EE90|border=silver}} Currently airing
:{{color box|#E0B0FF|border=silver}} An upcoming season
:{{color box|white|border=silver}} Status unknown
:{{color box|#FFC0CB|border=silver}} No longer airing
class="wikitable"
|+ International installments of Dragons' Den / Shark Tank ! scope="col" | Country ! scope="col" | Local title ! scope="col" | Network ! scope="col" | Current Investors ! scope="col" | Seasons |
bgcolor="F0ADAB"|Afghanistan
| rowspan="1"| TOLO | {{Unknown}} | {{ubl|Season 1, 2008|Season 2, 2014}} |
rowspan="2"bgcolor="A6EC99"|Australia
| Dragons' Den |
| Season 1, 2005 |
Shark Tank
| rowspan="1"| Network 10 | Current
Former
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2015|Season 2, 2016|Season 3, 2017|Season 4, 2018|Season 5, 2023|Season 6, 2024}} |
bgcolor="F0ADAB"|Austria
| 2 Minuten 2 Millionen | Puls 4 |
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2013|Season 2, 2014|Season 3, 2015|Season 4, 2016|Season 5, 2017|Season 6, 2018|Season 7, 2019|Season 8, 2020|Season 9, 2021}} |
bgcolor="A6EC99" |Bangladesh
|
|Season 1, 2024 |
bgcolor="F0ADAB"|Belgium
| Leeuwenkuil ("Lion's Den") | VIER |
| Season 1, 2018 |
bgcolor="A6EC99"|Brazil
| Shark Tank Brazil[pt] | Current
Former
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2016|Season 2, 2017|Season 3, 2018|Season 4, 2019|Season 5, 2020|Season 6, 2021|Season 7, 2022| Season 8, 2023|Season 9, 2024}} |
rowspan="2" bgcolor="A6EC99"|Canada
| CBC | Current
Former
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2006|Season 2, 2007|Season 3, 2008|Season 4, 2009|Season 5, 2010|Season 6, 2011|Season 7, 2012|Season 8, 2013|Season 9, 2014|Season 10, 2015|Season 11, 2016|Season 12, 2017|Season 13, 2018|Season 14, 2019|Season 15, 2020|Season 16, 2021|Season 17, 2022|Season 18, 2023|Season 19, 2024}} |
Dans l'œil du dragon(fr)
| Ici Télé | Current
Former
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2012|Season 2, 2013|Season 3, 2014|Season 4, 2015|Season 5, 2016|Season 6, 2017|Season 7, 2018|Season 8, 2019|Season 9, 2020|Season 10, 2021|Season 11, 2022|Season 12, 2024}} |
bgcolor="F0ADAB"|China
| 赢在中国 | rowspan="1"| CCTV-2 |
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2006|Season 2, 2007|Season 3, 2008}} |
bgcolor="A6EC99"|Colombia
| Shark Tank Colombia[es] | Current
Former
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2018|Season 2, 2019|Season 3, 2020|Season 4, 2022|Season 5, 2023|Season 6, 2024}} |
bgcolor="F0ADAB"|Croatia
| Dragons' Nest | rowspan="1"| HRT |
| Season 1, 2007 |
bgcolor="F0ADAB"|Czech Republic
| Den D | rowspan="1"| ČT1 |
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2009|Season 2, 2010|Season 3, 2011|Season 4, 2012}} |
bgcolor="A6EC99"|Denmark
| Løvens Hule ("Lion's Den") | DR1 | Current
Former
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2015|Season 2, 2016|Season 3, 2018|Season 4, 2019|Season 5, 2019-2020|Season 6, 2021|Season 7, 2022|Season 8, 2023|Season 9, 2024}} |
bgcolor="F0ADAB"|Egypt
|Dragons' Den is El Mashroua | Alnahar |
| Season 1, 2013 |
rowspan="3"bgcolor="A6EC99"|Finland
| {{Interlanguage link|Leijonan kita|fi}} | MTV3 |
| Season 1, 2007 |
{{Interlanguage link|Leijonan luola|fi}} ("Lion's Den") | rowspan="2"| Nelonen |
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2013|Season 2, 2018}} |
Leijonan luola Suomi ("Lion's Den Finland") |Current
Former
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2023|Season 2, 2025}} |
bgcolor="A6EC99"|France
| Qui veut être mon associé? | rowspan="1"| M6 | Current
Former
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2020|Season 2, 2022|Season 3, 2023}} |
bgcolor="A6EC99"|Germany
| Die Höhle der Löwen | VOX | Current
Former
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2014|Season 2, 2015|Season 3, 2016|Season 4, 2017|Season 5, 2018|Season 6, 2019|Season 7, 2020| Season 8, 2020|Season 9, 2021|Season 10, 2021|Season 11, 2022|Season 12, 2022|Season 13, 2023|Season 14, 2023|Season 15, 2024|Season 16, 2024}} |
bgcolor="A6EC99"|Greece
| Dragons' Den | ANT1 |
Former:
|{{ubl|Season 1, 2022|Season 2, 2023|Season 3, 2025}} |
bgcolor="A6EC99"|Hungary
| Cápák között | RTL | Current
Former
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2019|Season 2, 2020|Season 3, 2021|Season 4, 2022|Season 5, 2023|Season 6, 2023|Season 7, 2024|Season 8, 2025}} |
bgcolor="A6EC99"|India
| SET | Current
Former
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2021|Season 2, 2023|Season 3, 2024|Season 4, 2025}} |
bgcolor="A6EC99"|India (Tamil-language) | Startup Singam | Current
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2024}} |
bgcolor="F0ADAB"|Ireland
| rowspan="1"| RTÉ One |
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2009|Season 2, 2010|Season 3, 2011|Season 4, 2012|Season 5, 2013|Season 6, 2014|Season 7, 2015|Season 8, 2017}} |
bgcolor="90EE90"|Israel
| {{lang|he-Latn|Hakrishim}} | Channel 10 (1–2) Keshet 12 (3–) |Current
Former
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2006|Season 2, 2007|Season 3, 2018|Season 4, 2020|Season 5, 2022|Season 6, 2023-2024}} |
bgcolor="F0ADAB"|Italy
|Shark Tank Italia[it] |
|Season 1, 2015 |
bgcolor="F0ADAB"|Japan
| Manē no Tora | rowspan="1"| Nippon TV | Various | {{ubl|Season 1, 2001|Season 2, 2002|Season 3, 2003|Season 4, 2004}} |
bgcolor="F0ADAB"|Kenya
| Lion's Den | NTV |
| Season 1, 2016 |
bgcolor="F0ADAB"|Lebanon
|Dragons' Den: Al Aareen |
|Season 1, 2007 |
Lithuania
|Rykliai Lietuva ("The Sharks Lithuania") |Tv3 |{{unknown}} |Season 1, 2025 |
bgcolor="F0ADAB"|Malta
| Shark Tank Malta | TVM | Current
Former
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2022|Season 2, 2023|Season 3, 2024}} |
bgcolor="F0ADAB"|Mexico
| Shark Tank Mexico[es] | rowspan="1"| Sony Channel Latinoamerica | Current
Former
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2016|Season 2, 2017|Season 3, 2018|Season 4, 2019|Season 5, 2020|Season 6, 2021|Season 7, 2022|Season 8, 2023|Season 9, 2024}} |
Morocco
|Qui veut investir dans mon projet? |Various |Season 1, 2020 Season 2, 2021 |
bgcolor="F0ADAB"|Nepal
| Shark Tank Nepal | {{TBA}} | {{TBA}} |
bgcolor="A6EC99"|Netherlands
| Dragons' Den | {{ubl|Nederland 3 (1–2)|NPO 1 (3–4)|Viaplay (5–)}} | Current
Former
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2007|Season 2, 2008|Season 3, 2020|Season 4, 2021|Season 5, 2022}} |
bgcolor="F0ADAB"|New Zealand
| Dragons' Den New Zealand | rowspan="1"| TV One |
| Season 1, 2006 |
bgcolor="F0ADAB"|Nigeria
| Dragons' Den | AIT Network |
| Season 1, 2008 |
bgcolor="A6EC99"|Pakistan
| Green TV |
| Season 1, 2024 |
bgcolor="F0ADAB"|Poland
| Dragons' Den – jak zostać milionerem | TV4 |
| {{ubl|Season 1, Spring 2011|Season 2, Fall 2011|Season 3, Fall 2012}} |
bgcolor="F0ADAB"|Portugal
| Shark Tank[pt] | SIC |
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2015|Season 2, 2016}} |
rowspan="2" bgcolor="F0ADAB"|Romania
| {{lang|ro|Arena Leilor}} | TVR 2 |
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2007|Season 2, 2008|Season 3, 2009|Season 4, 2010|Season 5, 2011|Season 6, 2012|Season 7, 2013}} |
{{lang|ro|Imperiul Leilor}} ("Lions' Empire") | Pro TV |
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2019|Season 2, 2020|Season 3, 2021|Season 4, 2023}} |
bgcolor="F0ADAB"|Russia
| Капитал ("Capital") | rowspan="1"| TNT |
| Season 1, 2006 |
bgcolor="F0ADAB"|Saudi Arabia
| Dragons' Den | STV1 |
| Season 1, 2011 |
bgcolor="A6EC99"|Slovakia
|{{Lang|sk|Jama Levova}} |
|Season 1, 2023 |
bgcolor="F0ADAB"|Slovenia
| {{lang|sl|Dober posel}} | rowspan="1" | Planet TV |
| Season 1, 2012 |
rowspan="2" bgcolor="F0ADAB"|South Africa
| Dragons' Den |
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2014|Season 2, 2015}} |
Shark Tank South Africa
| M-Net |
| Season 1, 2016 |
bgcolor="F0ADAB"|Spain
| {{lang|es|Tu Oportunidad}} | rowspan="1"| TVE |
| Season 1, 2013 |
bgcolor="A6EC99"|Sweden
| Draknästet[sv | rowspan="1"| {{ubl|SVT (1–2, 4–)|TV8 (3)}} | Current
Former
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2009|Season 2, 2010|Season 3, 2014|Season 4, 2021|Season 5, 2022|Season 6, 2023}} |
bgcolor="A6EC99"|Switzerland
| Die Höhle der Löwen Schweiz | rowspan="1"| {{ubl|TV24 (1–2)|3 Plus (3-)}} | Current
Former
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2019|Season 2, 2020|Season 3, 2021|Season 4, 2022}} |
bgcolor="A6EC99"|Thailand
| Shark Tank Thailand | Current
Former
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2019|Season 2, 2020|Season 3, 2022}} |
bgcolor="F0ADAB"|Trinidad and Tobago
| Planting Seeds | CNC3 |
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2016|Season 2, 2017|Season 3, 2018|Season 4, 2019}} |
bgcolor="F0ADAB"|Turkey
| Dragons' Den Türkiye |
| Season 1, 2010 |
bgcolor="F0ADAB"|Ukraine
| {{lang|uk|Акули бізнесу}} | ICTV |
|{{ubl|Season 1, 2006|Season 2, 2006|Season 3, 2007|Season 4, 2007|Season 5, 2007}} |
bgcolor="A6EC99"|United Arab Emirates
|Shark Tank Dubai |
|Season 1, 2023-2024 Season 2, 2024 |
bgcolor="A6EC99"|United Kingdom
| {{ubl|BBC Two (1–17)|BBC One (18–)}} | Current
Former
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2005|Season 2, 2005|Season 3, 2006|Season 4, 2007|Season 5, 2007|Season 6, 2008|Season 7, 2009|Season 8, 2010|Season 9, 2011|Season 10, 2012|Season 11, 2013|Season 12, 2014|Season 13, 2015|Season 14, 2016|Season 15, 2017|Season 16, 2018|Season 17, 2019| Season 18, 2021|Season 19, 2022|Season 20, 2023|Season 21, 2024|Season 22, 2025}} |
bgcolor="A6EC99"|United States
| ABC | Current
Former
| {{ubl|Season 1, 2009|Season 2, 2011|Season 3, 2012|Season 4, 2012|Season 5, 2013|Season 6, 2014|Season 7, 2015|Season 8, 2016|Season 9, 2017|Season 10, 2018|Season 11, 2019|Season 12, 2020|Season 13, 2021|Season 14, 2022|Season 15, 2023|Season 16, 2024}} |
rowspan ="2"; bgcolor="A6EC99"|Vietnam
| Khởi nghiệp ("Start-up") | VTV3 | {{Unknown}} | 2005–2006 |
Shark Tank Vietnam – Thương vụ bạc tỷ[vi]
| VTV3 | {{Unknown}} | {{ubl|Season 1, 2017|Season 2, 2018|Season 3, 2019|Season 4, 2020|Season 5, 2022|Season 6, 2023|Season 7, 2024}} |
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20020813090622/http://www.ntv.co.jp/money/ Official "Money no Tora" site] (WebArchive)
- {{BBC Programme|b006vq92}}
- [http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/dend Den D] (official Czech Republic website)
- [http://www.jakzostacmilionerem.biz/ Dragons' Den] (official Polish website)
- {{IMDb title|1177058|"Manê no tora" (2001)}}
- {{IMDb title|0443370|"Dragons' Den" (2004)}}
- {{IMDb title|0493088|"Dragons' Den" (2005)}}
- {{IMDb title|1170858|"Dragons' Den" (2006)}}
{{Dragons' Den}}
{{Dragons' Den (UK)}}
{{Shark Tank}}