Steven Bartlett (businessman)

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Steven Bartlett
Bartlett in 2024
Born
Steven Cliff Bartlett

(1992-08-26) 26 August 1992 (age 31)
Botswana
NationalityBritish
Occupations
  • Investor
  • Entrepreneur
Known forSocial Chain
Dragons' Den
AwardsForbes 30 Under 30 (2020)
Websitestevenbartlett.com Edit this at Wikidata

Steven Cliff Bartlett (born 26 August 1992) is a British entrepreneur and podcaster. He is the founder of Thirdweb, Flight Story and Flight Fund.[1][2] He was the co-founder and co-CEO of Social Chain, but stepped down as CEO in 2020.[3] In 2021, he began appearing as an investor on the BBC One show Dragons' Den.[4][5] He also runs The Diary of a CEO podcast.[6] In 2023, according to Spotify Wrapped, it was ranked in the top 10 most popular podcasts globally.[7]

Early life and education[edit]

Steven Cliff Bartlett[8] was born on 26 August 1992[9] in Botswana to an English father and a Nigerian mother.[10] His mother left school at age seven and could not read or write; his father is a structural engineer.[11] He moved to Plymouth, England, at the age of two, where he grew up, attending a secondary school, Plymstock School, from which he was expelled in sixth form.[12][13][14] He went to study at Manchester Metropolitan University, but dropped out after one lecture.[13][15]

Career[edit]

In 2013, Bartlett founded Wallpark, an online messaging board.[15] In 2014, Bartlett co-founded Social Chain, a social media marketing company based in Manchester, England, United Kingdom, along with Dominic McGregor.[3][16] In 2017, he created a podcast series called The Diary of a CEO, which has featured guests including Liam Payne and Tom Blomfield.[17] As of 2021, it was Europe's most downloaded business podcast and has featured British entrepreneurs Ben Francis, Lee Chambers and Grace Beverley, as well as other public figures including former Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson.[18][19] In 2023, according to a podcast chart, The Diary of a CEO has the second largest weekly audience in the United Kingdom.[20]

In 2019, the Financial Times reported that Steven and Wanja Oberhof would jointly manage Social Chain AG, which was valued at €186M at the time that it merged with Lumaland.[21] In 2019, Social Chain and German online retailer Lumaland merged to become The Social Chain AG, listing on Xetra and the Düsseldorf Stock Exchange.[16] The listing valued the business at over $200 million.[22] In November 2021, Social Chain AG moved to the Frankfurt Stock Exchange's prime standard reaching a valuation of $600 million. Bartlett's website initially said that he founded a $600 million company. However, The Times reported that Bartlett had left the business at the time of the second listing.[23] Bartlett noted to The Times that he retained a “significant” shareholding in Social Chain AG at the time of the second listing 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”.[23][24]

In 2019, he featured in the Channel 4 series The Secret Teacher,[25] going undercover at a school near Liverpool as a teacher.[26]

In December 2020, he created the private equity company Catena Capital,[27] then joined the board of directors of Huel, a £72 million food replacement company, as a non-executive director.[28][2] In 2021, Bartlett joined the BBC One investment show Dragons' Den.[29]

In September 2023, Bartlett accompanied Prince William on Royal visits in Bournemouth after being announced as an advocate of his foundation, Homewards.[30]

Kimaï will be working with Steven and his team to amplify their digital presence, in exchange for a 3 per cent equity stake. The deal is the biggest investment made by The Diary Of A CEO podcast host since he first joined the programme in 2021.[31]

Projects[edit]

Thirdweb[edit]

Thirdweb, a Web3 startup founded by Bartlett, raised $5m in seed investment, and an additional $24 million in 2022, nine months after going live. The Series A funding round valued the startup at $160 million.[32] The funding was led by Katie Haun's $1.5 billion crypto fund, with participation from investors including Coinbase Ventures, Shopify, and Polygon. The company aims to simplify the process of building decentralized applications on the blockchain.[1]

Flight Fund[edit]

In January 2023, Bartlett launched Flight Fund, a $100 million fund for tech investment.[33] The fund claims to support diverse founders and high-growth startups in blockchain, biotech, health, commerce, technology, and space sectors. The fund had a stated goal to invest in around 20 companies, offering small stakes at discounted valuations in exchange for support from previous founders who are limited partners in the fund.[2]

Criticism[edit]

Breaching guidelines on advertising[edit]

The BBC, which currently airs The Dragons' Den, reprimanded Bartlett in 2022 for breaching BBC guidelines on advertising. In a statement, they told The Radio Times: "We have clear guidelines around talent's commercial activity while working with us. Steven has been reminded of the guidelines." In a statement, Bartlett addressed the issue, adding: "This was a genuine oversight on my part. The posts have now been taken down."[34]

The Advertising Standards Authority took action against Bartlett in August 2022 for breaching the CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 2.1, 2.3 and 2.4, in which he covertly advertised meal replacement firm Huel. The ASA ruled that the advertisement must not appear again in its current form and subsequently advised Bartlett and Huel to "ensure that they made clear the commercial intent of advertising content in podcasts in future, for example by including a clear and prominent identifier such as 'advertisement' and making sure the break from editorial content to the ad was clearly and audibly identified."[35]

Books[edit]

In 2021, Bartlett released his first book, Happy Sexy Millionaire,[36] which was a Sunday Times bestseller.[37] In 2023, Bartlett released his second book, The Diary of a CEO: The 33 Laws of Business and Life,[38] where he recollects topics from the podcast of the same name and condenses it into a published print version. In a review of his 2023 book, The Diary of a CEO: The 33 Laws of Business and Life, Private Eye described Bartlett as "the king of self-mythologisation", summarised the book as "a grisly minestrone of every other management book you’ve ever read", and concluded, "His real business, clearly, is Brand Bartlett".[39]

Recognition[edit]

In 2018, Econsultancy named him "The most influential figure in the industry."[12] In 2020, he was inducted into the Manchester Hall of Fame. In the same year, he was included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.[40] Bartlett is regularly booked for public speaking engagements.[22]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Burroughs, Callum (25 August 2022). "Mark Cuban backed Steven Bartlett's new Web3 startup in 2021. Now, Thirdweb just raised $24 million in a round led by Haun Ventures with this 11-slide pitch deck". Business Insider. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Burroughs, Callum (19 January 2023). "Diary of a CEO host Steven Bartlett has raised a $100 million fund to back the next generation of Europe's unicorn founders". Business Insider. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  3. ^ a b Anon (2021). "Steven BARTLETT personal appointments". gov.uk. London: Companies House. Archived from the original on 28 January 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  4. ^ Mantock, Rachel (2021). "New investor Steven Bartlett says his digital background gives him 'an edge' on Dragons Den". inews.co.uk. Archived from the original on 8 June 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  5. ^ Lewis, Isobel (2021). "28-year-old Steven Bartlett joins Dragons' Den as show's youngest ever Dragon". The Independent. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  6. ^ Charlton, Graham (3 December 2021). "Who Were Steven Bartlett's Favourite Guests on Diary of a CEO?". www.martechalliance.com. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  7. ^ "Taylor Swift Is Spotify's Most Streamed Artist of 2023". Billboard. 29 November 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  8. ^ Wares, Alan (7 September 2023). "Steven Bartlett: the enigma - Platinum Media Group". Platinum Media Group. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  9. ^ Bartlett, Steven Cliff [@StevenBartlett] (26 August 2020). "28! Thank you for all of the birthday messages / DMs" (Tweet). Retrieved 15 September 2023 – via Twitter.
  10. ^ Samuelson, Kate (2 March 2022). "Steven Bartlett: from dropout to millionaire". The Week UK.
  11. ^ Khomami, Nadia (6 January 2022). "How Steven Bartlett went from dropout to youngest ever Dragons' Den investor". The Guardian.
  12. ^ a b Staff Reporter (2021). "5 things to know about The Social Chain CEO Steven Bartlett, the youngest ever Dragon". UK Tech News. Archived from the original on 17 October 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  13. ^ a b Scotty (14 November 2019). "Interview With Steve Bartlett, CEO of the Social Chain Group". logros.co.uk. The Logros. Archived from the original on 5 January 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  14. ^ Stephenson, Hannah. "Dragon's Den newcomer Steven Bartlett's unorthodox rise to the top". plymouthherald.co.uk.
  15. ^ a b Barrie, Thomas (2021). "Steven Bartlett: 'If you want a successful business, you have to instil a culture of learning'". gq-magazine.co.uk. GQ. Archived from the original on 16 December 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  16. ^ a b Prior, David (17 August 2020). "Co-founders Steven Bartlett and Dominic McGregor to leave Social Chain". prolificnorth.co.uk. Prolific North. Archived from the original on 15 January 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  17. ^ McKeever, Vicky (27 August 2021). "This entrepreneur is set to make $1.2 million from his podcast this year. Here's how he's doing it". cnbc.com. Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  18. ^ Benson, Rhianna (29 December 2021). "Meet Steven Bartlett - Dragon's Den's newest addition and youngest ever investor". walesonline.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  19. ^ Walker, Peter (28 February 2022). "I didn't break Covid rules when kissing aide, says Matt Hancock". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 March 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  20. ^ "Joe Rogan is UK's most popular podcast, new chart reveals". the Guardian. 23 September 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  21. ^ "Social Chain agency links up with German retailer Lumaland". Financial Times. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  22. ^ a b Anon (2020). "Steven Bartlett". Forbes. Archived from the original on 13 May 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  23. ^ a b "Why Steven Bartlett is not the tycoon he claimed". The Times. Retrieved 14 February 2023.(subscription required)
  24. ^ "Expanding group completes upgrade to stock exchange's prime standard". Business Live. 12 November 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  25. ^ The Secret Teacher (2 June 2018). "Secret Teacher: teaching children without play was soul-destroying". The Guardian.
  26. ^ "The Secret Teacher: Episode 3: Social media marketing magnate Steven Bartlett goes undercover at a cash-strapped school in Liverpool". channel4.com. Channel 4. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  27. ^ "Steven Bartlett net worth, girlfriend and everything else about him in 2022". Unifresher. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  28. ^ Robinson, Jon (9 February 2021). "Jon Robinson Social media guru Steven Bartlett joins fast-growing food replacement brand Huel". North West Business Editor. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  29. ^ Virk, Kameron (20 May 2021). "Dragons' Den: Why new Dragon Steven Bartlett won't be wearing a suit". bbc.co.uk. BBC News. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  30. ^ McTaggart, India (7 September 2023). "Watch: Prince William given surprise kiss by Gazza". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  31. ^ "Kimaï hopes sales of lab-created diamond jewellery will sparkle after appearing on Dragons' Den". 26 January 2024. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  32. ^ Lunden, Ingrid (25 August 2022). "Thirdweb raises $24M at a $160M valuation from Haun Ventures, Shopify and Coinbase for its web3 development kit". TechCrunch. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  33. ^ Prescott, Katie (19 January 2023). "Dragon Steven Bartlett launches £100m fund for entrepreneurs". The Times. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  34. ^ Morris, Lauren (8 March 2022). "Dragons' Den star says BBC sponsorship rule breach was 'genuine oversight'". Radio Times. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  35. ^ "Huel Ltd". www.asa.org.uk. Advertising Standards Authority. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  36. ^ "Happy Sexy Millionaire: Unexpected Truths about Fulfill…". Goodreads. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  37. ^ Stephenson, Hannah (30 June 2021). "Dragons' Den newcomer Steven Bartlett: I'm not particularly bothered about what other people think of me". irishnews.com. The Irish News. Archived from the original on 5 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  38. ^ "The Diary of a CEO: The 33 Laws of Business and Life". Goodreads. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  39. ^ Telford, William (18 September 2023). "Steven Bartlett's new book has been savaged". PlymouthLive. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  40. ^ Wood, Alex (17 March 2020). "30 Under 30: Meet The European Media & Marketing Moguls Of Tomorrow". Forbes. Retrieved 19 March 2023.

External links[edit]

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