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 (Japanese: マネーの虎, romanized: manē no tora), a pun on "The Tiger of Malaya" (マレーの虎, marē no tora), which was the nickname of WWII general Tomoyuki Yamashita. 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 and Morocco; 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 U.S. 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.
International versions[]
| Country/Region | Name | Network | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Fikr wa Talash | Tolo TV | Unknown |
| Arab World | Dragons' Den: Al Aareen | Future TV | Omar El-Quqa, Ahmad Tantash, Nassif Karam, Roger Azar |
| Australia | Dragons' Den | Seven Network | Peter Higgins, Sarina Russo, Darryn Lyons, Suzi Dafnis, Siimon Reynolds |
| Shark Tank | Network 10 | Current: Robert Herjavec, Jane Lu, Davie Fogarty, Catriona Wallace, Sabri Suby Former: Steve Baxter, Janine Allis, Andrew Banks, Naomi Simson, John McGrath, Glen Richards | |
| Austria | 2 Minuten 2 Millionen | Puls 4 | Hans Peter Haselsteiner, Oliver Holle, Leo Hillinger, Michael Atrichter, Martin Rohla, Hansi Hansmann, Heinrich Prokop, Florian Gschwandtner, Felix Ohswald, Selma Prodanovic, Marie Hélène Ametsreiter, Katharina Schneider, Daniel Mattes, Daniel Zech, Philipp Maderthaner, Alexander Schuetz, Stefan Piëch |
| Bangladesh | Shark Tank Bangladesh | Bongo, Deepto TV | Sami Ahmed, Navin Ahmed, Ahmed Ali Leon, Nazim Farhan Chowdhury, Golam Murshed, Sausan Khan Moyeen, Samanzar Khan, Kazi Mahboob Hassan, Faatin Haque, Anika Chowdhury |
| Belgium | Leeuwenkuil | VIER | Bart Deconinck, Jürgen Ingels, Luc Van Mol, Conny Vandendriessche, Bart Verhaeghe |
| Brazil | Shark Tank Brasil | Canal Sony/Sony Channel | Current: João Appolinário, José Carlos Semenzato, Carol Paiffer, Joel Jota, Monique Evelle, Sergio Zimerman Former: Camila Farani, Christiana Arcangeli, Robinson Shiba, Sorocaba, Caito Maia, Sandra Chayo, Felipe Titto |
| Canada (English) | Dragons' Den | CBC Television | Current: Arlene Dickinson, Manjit Minhas, Michele Romanow, Vincenzo Guzzo, Wes Hall, Robert Herjavec Former: Kevin O'Leary, Laurence Lewin, Jennifer Wood, W. Brett Wilson, Bruce Croxon, Vikram Vij, David Chilton, Michael Wekerle, Lane Merrifield, Joe Mimran, Jim Treliving |
| Canada (French) | Dans l'œil du dragon | Ici Radio-Canada Télé | Dany Vachon, Danièle Henkel, François Lambert, Normand Legault, Alexandre Taillefer, Serge Beauchemin, Martin-Luc Archambault, Mitch Garber |
| China | 合伙中国人 Chinese Partner |
Shenzhen Satellite TV | Bob Xu, Annabelle Long Yu, Li Guoqing, Yao Jinbo, Hugo Shong, Zhou Hongyi, Jerry Huang |
| Colombia | Shark Tank Colombia | Sony Channel | Current: Mauricio Hoyos, Alexander Torrenegra, Leonardo Wehe, Andrea Arnau, Hanoi Morillo, Miguel McAllister, Álvaro Rodríguez Former: Ricardo Leyva, Frank Kanayet, Juliana Barreto, Alejandra Torres, Samy Bessudo, Miguel Caballero |
| Croatia | Dragon's Nest | HRT | Maja Pečarević, Hrvoje Prpić, Davor Štern, Juroslav Buljubašić, Branko Roglić |
| Czech Republic | Den D | ČT1 | Dana Bérová, Marta Nováková, Tomio Okamura, Ivan Pilný, Ondřej Bartoš, Michael Rostock, Margareta Křížová, Petra Rychnovská, John Vanhara, Michal Hanus |
| Denmark | Løvens Hule | DR1 | Current: Louise Herping Ellegaard, Anne Stampe, Morten Larsen, Nikolaj Nyholm, Tahir Siddique Former: Ilse Jacobsen, Jan Dal Lehrmann, Tommy Ahlers, Mia Wagner, Birgit Aaby, Peter Warnøe, Christian Stadil, Jesper Buch, Christian Arnstedt, Jacob Risgaard |
| Egypt | Dragons' Den is El Mashroua | Al-Nahar | Hala Hattab, Hisham Al Jamal |
| Finland | Leijonan kita | MTV3 | Kyösti Kakkonen, Eero Lehti, Toivo Sukari, Lisa Sounio, Kaija Ward |
| Leijonan luola | Nelonen | Riku Asikainen, Ari Lahti, Jorma Terentjeff, Anne Berner, Oskari Lehtonen, Miika Toivonen, Saga Forss, Kim Väisänen | |
| Leijonan luola Suomi | Kim Väisänen, Noora Fagerström, Jenni Kynnös, Jari Sarasvuo, Elias Aalto, Sami Hedberg | ||
| France | Qui veut être mon associé? | M6 | Current: Delphine André, Éric Larchevêque, Marc Simoncini, Anthony Bourbon, Jean-Pierre Nadir, Isabele Chevalier Former: Marc Vanhove, Frédéric Mazzella, Catherine Barba, Sophie Mechaly, Isabelle Weill |
| Germany | Die Höhle der Löwen | VOX | Current: Judith Williams, Carsten Maschmeyer, Ralf Dümmel, Dagmar Wöhrl, Nils Glagau Former: Vural Öger, Lencke Wischhusen, Jochen Schweizer, Frank Thelen, Georg Kofler, Nico Rosberg |
| Greece | Dragons' Den | ANT1 | Current: Haris Vafias, Tasos Economou, Demetrios Mallios, Lily Perganda, Maria Hatzistefani, Leon Yohai Former: Paul Eformidis |
| Hungary | Cápák között | RTL | Current: Levente Balogh, Péter Balogh, András Moldován, István Lakatos, Ilona Orbók, Dr. Eszter Varga, Albert Sárospataki Former: Gyula Fehér, Anna Apró, Szabina Tomán |
| India | Shark Tank India | Sony Entertainment Television | Current: Anupam Mittal, Namita Thapar, Peyush Bansal, Vineeta Singh, Aman Gupta, Amit Jain, Azhar Iqubal, Deepinder Goyal, Ritesh Agarwal, Radhika Gupta, Ronnie Screwala, Varun Dua Former: Ashneer Grover, Ghazal Alagh |
| Ireland | Dragons' Den | RTÉ One | Niall O'Farrell, Peter Casey, Eammon Quinn, Chanelle McAvoy, Bobby Kerr, Ramona Nicholas, Eleanor McEvoy, Sarah Newman, Norah Casey, Barry O'Sullivan, Allison Cowzer, Gavin Duffy, Seán Gallagher, Sean O'Sullivan |
| Israel | הכרישים HaKrishim |
Channel 10, Keshet 12 | Aviv Tzidon, Jacky Ben-Zaken, Zeev Holtzman, Amir Eyal, Isralea Shatir, Yossi Moldawsky, Nir Shretzky, Nir Barkat, Oded Daseu, Ronni Ross, Dovvi Frances, Zohar Levkovitz, Hadar Goldman, Eldad Tamir, Stav Schachman, Oren Dobronsky, Enia Adivberar, Yasmin Luchach |
| Italy | Shark Tank Italia | Italia 1 | Luciano Bonetti, Fabio Cannavale, Gianpietro Vigorelli, Mariarita Costanza, Gianluca Dettori |
| Japan | マネーの虎 Manē no Tora |
Nippon TV | Various investors |
| Kenya | Lion's Den | NTV | Darshan Chandaria, Kris Senanu, Myke Rabar, Olive Gachara, Wandia Gichuru |
| Malta | Shark Tank Malta | TVM | Current: Mark Bajada, Alexander Fenech, Michael Bonello, Dino Fino, Kirsy Kullmann Former: Mark Weingard, Christabelle Borg |
| Mexico | Shark Tank México | Sony Channel | Current: Marcus Dantus, Alejandra Ríos Spinola, Marisa Lazo, Alejandro Litchi, Amaury Vergara, Adriana Gallardo, Brian Requarth, Karla Berman, Oswaldo Trava Former: Rodrigo Herrera Aspra, Carlos Bremer, Arturo Elías Ayub, Jorge Vergara, Ana Victoria García, Patricia Armendáriz, Luis Harvey, Braulio Arsuaga, Ernesto Coppel |
| Morocco | Qui veut investir dans mon projet ? | 2M TV | Unknown |
| Nepal | Shark Tank Nepal | Himalaya TV | TBA |
| Netherlands | Dragons' Den | Current: Viaplay Former: Nederland 3 (KRO), NPO 1 (WNL) |
Current: Won Yip, Pieter Schoen, Shawn Harris, Manon van Essen, Bas Vitvoet Former: Henk Keilman, Annemarie van Gaal, Willem Sijthoff, Arjen De Koning, Jan Pieter Melchior, George Banken, Michel Perridon, Nikkie Plessen |
| New Zealand | Dragons' Den New Zealand | TV One | Julie Christie, Bob Jones, Annette Presley, Paul Webb, Barry Colman |
| Nigeria | Dragons' Den | AIT Network | Prince Femi Tejuoso, Ibukun Awosika, Chris Parkes, Alexander Amosu, John Momoh, Tokunboh Ishmael |
| Pakistan | Dragons' Den | Neo News | Salim Ghauri, Naeem Zamindar, Humayun Mazhar |
| Poland | Dragons' Den – jak zostać milionerem | TV4 | Maciej Kaczmarski, Marian Owerko, Anna Hejka, Andrzej Glowacki, Adam Kruszewski, Anna Garwolińska, Grzegorz Hajdarowicz, Krzysztof Golonka, Marek Rusiecki |
| Portugal | Shark Tank | SIC | Mário Ferreira, João Rafael Koehler, Susana Sequeira, Tim Vieira, Miguel Ribeiro Ferreira |
| Romania | Arena Leilor | TVR 2 | Marius Ghenea, Dragoș Anastasiu, Cristina Bâtlan, Rucsandra Hurezeanu, Cristina Bâtlan, Sorin Posa, Radu Ioan Tudorache, Florin Talpes, Gyorgy Baba, Micrea Tudor, Orlando Szasz, Carmen Sandulescu, Mirela Rosca, Teodor Frolu, Mihaela Nicola |
| Imperiul Leilor | Pro TV | Dragos Petrescu, Mohammad Murad, Daniela Mariscu, Cristian Onețiu, Monica Cadogan, Dan Șucu, Cristina Bâtlan, Bogdan Micu, Sebastian Dobrincu, Wargha Enayati, Daniel Mischie, Felix Patrăşcanu, Răzvan Raţ, Mircea Căpăţînă | |
| Russia | Kapital | TNT | Andreï Korkounov, Evgeny Chichvarkin, Sergei Nedoroslev, Pavel Teplukhin, Nadezhda Kopytina |
| Saudi Arabia | Dragons' Den | STV1 | Saleh Kamel, Ahmed Fitihy, Nashwa Altahir, Altaiar, Alhalafy |
| Slovakia | Jama Levova | Markíza | Igor Rattaj, Milan Dubec, Tatiana Ondrejkova, Juraj Fehervari, Igor Kolla |
| Slovenia | Dober posel | Planet TV | Branko Drobnak, Borut Rismal, Daniela Bervar, Jure Mikuž, Matjaž Krč |
| South Africa | Dragons' Den | Mzansi Magic | Lebo Gunguluza, Vusi Thembekwayo, Polo Leteka Radebe, Vinny Lingham, Gil Oved |
| Shark Tank South Africa | M-Net | Dawn Nathan-Jones, Vinny Lingham, Romeo Kumalo, Marnus Broodryk, Gil Oved | |
| Spain | Tu Oportunidad | La 1 | María Eugenia Girón, Javier Pérez Dolset, Catalina Hoffmann, Gonzalo de la Cierva, Pablo Gimeno |
| Sweden | Draknästet | Current: SVT2 Former: TV8 |
Current: Lena Apler, Sara Wimmercranz, Shervin Razani, Jonas Tellander, Fredrik Eklund, Ash Pournouri, Hannah Widell, Christian von Koenigsegg Former: Mats Gabrielsson, Ljubo Mrnjavac, Gunilla von Platen, Sven Hagströmer, Richard Båge, Douglas Roos, Susanna Falkengren, Dani Evanoff, Anne Berner, Anders Holm, Lars Wingefors, Olle Nordberg, Jacob de Geer, Jonas Eriksson |
| Switzerland | Die Höhle der Löwen Schweiz | Current: 3+ Former: TV24 |
Current: Tobias Reichmuth, Bettina Hein, Roland Brack, Anja Graf, Jürg Schwarzenbach, Lukas Speiser, Patrick Mollet Former: Jürg Marquard, DJ Antoine |
| Thailand | Shark Tank Thailand | Channel 7 | Current: Natavudh Pungcharoenpong, Krit Srichawla, Bhurit Bhirombhakdi, Chanapan Juangroongruan, Prapol Milintachinda Former: Shannon Kalayanamitr, Chalermchai Mahagitsiri, Bodintorn Juangroongruangkit, Nishita Shah, Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip, Rawit Harnausanha |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Planting Seeds | CNC3 | Joseph Raphael, Racquel Moses, Joe Pires, Sheldon Stephen |
| Turkey | Dragons' Den Türkiye | Bloomberg HT | Baybars Altuntaş, Yalçın Ayaydın, Nevzat Aydın, Gamze Cizreli, Alphan Manas |
| Ukraine | Акули бізнесу Akuly biznesu |
ICTV | Unknown |
| United Kingdom | Dragons' Den | Current: BBC One Former: BBC Two |
Current: Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman, Sara Davies, Steven Bartlett Former: Simon Woodroffe, Doug Richard, Duncan Bannatyne, Rachel Elnaugh, Richard Farleigh, James Caan, Hillary Devey, Kelly Hoppen, Sarah Willingham, Jenny Campbell, Theo Paphitis, Piers Linney, Nick Jenkins, Tej Lalvani |
| United States | Shark Tank | ABC | Current: Robert Herjavec, Barbara Corcoran, Kevin O'Leary, Daymond John, Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner Former: Kevin Harrington |
| Vietnam | Khởi nghiệp | VTV3 | Unknown |
| Shark Tank Vietnam – Thương vụ bạc tỷ | Unknown |