Steven Bartlett, the entrepreneur and CEO Diary host, has revealed his business empire is worth $425 million (£320 million) following a major eight-figure investment – a deal that cements his position as one of the richest entrepreneurs to ever appear on Dragons’ Den.
The 33-year-old investor, who joined the BBC show in 2022, announced the new rating in a press release this week. The deal will see venture capital firms Slow Ventures and Apeiron Investment acquire a minority stake in its parent company Steven.com, which now houses Bartlett’s fast-growing portfolio, including Flight Story, Flight Cast, Flight Fund and online shopping platform Stan Store.
Bartlett said the capital infusion will help him “build the Disney of the creator economy” and position his ventures at the center of the multi-billion dollar influencer and creator market.
“Over the last century, companies like Disney have demonstrated the power of intellectual property,” Bartlett said. “In today’s world, the creators are the new franchises – and with my team we are building the modern version of that model.”
Despite the investment, Bartlett said he still retains more than 90% ownership of Steven.com.
The valuation marks another major milestone for Bartlett, who has evolved from startup founder to multimedia mogul. Its media and technology portfolio now includes content production, venture investments and e-commerce infrastructure for digital creatives.
Steven.com integrates all of its ventures, including:
• Flight Story – a marketing and communications agency supporting The Diary of a CEO and Davina McCall’s Begin Again podcast.
• Flight Cast – a creative production department.
• Flight Fund – Bartlett’s venture capital arm that invests in technology and consumer brands.
• Stan Store – an e-commerce platform that competes with Shopify and Linktree.
Bartlett claims the investment is the largest ever made in a European company specializing in social media creators.
Bartlett was born in Botswana to a Nigerian mother and an English father. He grew up in Plymouth and dropped out of university at 18 before starting his first business.
In 2014 he founded Social Chain with Dominic McGregor and built it into one of the fastest growing social media agencies in Europe. However, the company has been criticized for plagiarizing social media content and inflating ratings.
In his biography, Bartlett claimed to have taken Social Chain public at a valuation of $600 million, although the company’s true value was closer to $186 million due to the company’s merger with German retailer Lumaland in 2019. Following Bartlett’s exit, the company later reached $620 million and was eventually sold for just £7.7 million.
Bartlett left Social Chain in 2020 and later founded Flight Story and the podcast The Diary of a CEO – both of which are now key drivers of his wealth and influence.
Although Bartlett’s business success was widely celebrated, his ventures were not without controversy.
A BBC investigation in late 2024 found that guests on his Diary of a CEO podcast promoted unproven health claims, including that a keto diet could treat cancer and that COVID-19 was “biologically engineered,” without Bartlett questioning them. Critics accused him of giving a platform to harmful misinformation.
In 2022, Bartlett also faced backlash for investing in Ear Seeds – a product advertised on Dragons’ Den that was said to help cure ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Following complaints, the BBC added a disclaimer clarifying that the treatment was not medically verified.
Later in 2024, he was reprimanded by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for failing to disclose his financial interests while promoting Huel and Zoe on social media.
Despite the controversy, Bartlett’s influence continues to grow. His Diary of a CEO podcast – with guests including Richard Branson, Simon Cowell and Boris Johnson – won Best International Podcast at the iHeart Radio Podcast Awards earlier this year.
With its latest assessment, Bartlett joins the top group of British entrepreneurs under 35. Industry observers say his empire shows both the economic power and volatility of the creator economy, where brand, authenticity and influence are the new assets.
“Steven Bartlett is the embodiment of the modern business model,” said Dr. Harriet Mason, Professor of Media Entrepreneurship at the University of Leeds. “He’s part content creator, part venture capitalist – a hybrid we’ll be seeing a lot more of in the next decade.”
But for Bartlett, the focus remains clear: scaling Steven.com into a global creative media ecosystem.
“Creators are the studios of the future,” he said. “Our goal is to empower them – and to build something lasting around their stories.”
