Steven Bartlett is a British-Nigerian entrepreneur, speaker, investor, author and television personality.
He was born on August 26, 1992, in Botswana to an English father and a Nigerian mother.
Bartlett’s mother left school at the age of seven and could not read or write, while his father is a structural engineer.
He moved to Plymouth, England, at the age of two, where he grew up, attended Plymstock School for secondary education and later a sixth form:
Bartlett initially enrolled in business management at Manchester Metropolitan University but dropped out after one lecture, realizing it was not the path he wanted to take.
Steven Bartlett upbringing
As mentioned above, Bartlett was born in Botswana to a Nigerian mother and a British father.
His mother left school at the age of seven and could not read or write, while his father was a structural engineer.
The family moved to Plymouth, Devon, where they “struggled financially in a nice, white, middle-class area”.
Growing up, Bartlett had to forage for loose change to keep his hunger at bay and even stole food from corner shops.
His parents were always at work, and he was left to fend for himself, which helped him become independent at a young age.
Bartlett attended Plymstock School and a sixth form.
He went to study at Manchester Metropolitan University but dropped out after one lecture.
At the age of 18, Bartlett founded his first proper registered business, Wallpark.
He later founded Social Chain, a social media marketing agency, and co-founded Flight Story, a marketing and communications company that works with leading brands.
Bartlett also launched his own private equity fund, Flight Fund, to accelerate the next generation of European unicorns.
Today, he is an accomplished investor in the health and wellness space with notable investments including Huel, UK’s fastest-growing e-commerce company internationally, and Zoe, the personalized nutrition company.
What is Steven Bartlett’s net worth?
According to multiple sources, Bartlett had an estimated net worth of £68 million as of 2023.
How does Steven Bartlett make money?
Bartlett is a British-Nigerian entrepreneur who has made his fortune through various business ventures.
The majority of Bartlett’s money comes from being the founder and CEO of Social Chain, a social media marketing agency that he co-founded in 2014 with Dom McGregor after dropping out of university.
The company now has a market valuation of over £300 million and reaches over 200 million millennials across all platforms.
The company also has global clients including Apple, McDonald’s and the BBC.
Bartlett also makes money from his podcast, The Diary of a CEO.
He has effectively monetized the popular podcast by contacting five companies directly that he liked and sending them a short presentation arguing why they should sponsor his podcast.
Bartlett’s show has three main sponsors — nutrition brand Huel, freelancer platform Fiverr, and renewable energy product manufacturer Myenergi.
He has a 12-month contract with these sponsors, which he said helps him with forecasting for the show.
In addition, Bartlett said he has the “odd brand or collaboration opportunity maybe once every other month which I might mention on the show from time-to-time.”
These sponsors pay “varying fees” but Bartlett said that his podcast is estimated to generate $1.2 million this year.
Additionally, Bartlett is the newest investor in the Dragons’ Den lineup, joining the other Dragons as their youngest ever.
He has invested in various businesses on the show, and his unique approach to business brings a whole new dynamic to the show.
He has also been reported to retain a “significant” shareholding in Social Chain AG and that he was under contract to work for the company “on a range of strategic matters” at the time of the $600m valuation, including the up-listing to the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, for which he received a “further package of virtual shares/options”.
Bartlett has also become a Sunday Times Bestselling author with his book, Happy Sexy Millionaire.
Steve Bartlett career
Bartlett has had a diverse career, with notable achievements and investments in various industries, including health and wellness, blockchain technologies, biotech, space, Web 3 and social media.
He is an accomplished investor in the health and wellness space, with notable investments in companies like Huel, the UK’s fastest-growing e-commerce company internationally and Zoe, a personalized nutrition program created by top scientists.
Bartlett has also invested in The Healing Company, atai Life Sciences, Alto Neuroscience and AbCellera.
He co-founded Flight Story, a marketing and communications company that works with leading brands.
Flight Story focuses on innovative and disruptive approaches to social media marketing.
Bartlett also launched his own private equity fund, Flight Fund, which aims to accelerate the next generation of European unicorns.
Additionally, he is the co-founded thirdweb, a software platform backed by Shopify and Coinbase that makes it easy to build Web 3 applications.
He is particularly focused on inspiring a new generation of entrepreneurs and creators from a BAME (Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic) background.
Much of his work after winning the “British Black Entrepreneur of the Year” award focused on disadvantaged schools and communities.
He has also partnered with His Majesty’s Prison Service to distribute The Diary of a CEO podcast via their in-cell technology.
However, despite his success, Steven has faced some controversies and criticisms.
Some have questioned his actual business knowledge and accused him of self-mythologizing and prioritizing his own fame and vanity over genuinely helping others.
