Steven Bartlett net worth: How Diary of a CEO star made his wealth as he announces huge move to US

Steven Bartlett, the youngest investor on BBC’s Dragons’ Den, is heading to the states after signing a massive deal with a top talent agency in LA.

The 32-year-old Dairy of a CEO star announced he is being represented by WME after several top agencies tried to sign him. He now joins the likes of Adele, Jude Law and Ben Affleck, who are all represented by the agency. He announced the move on LinkedIn yesterday sparking a wave of reaction for the young entrepreneur.

It’s the latest in a meteoric rise for the star, who despite being a fresh edition to the line-up of Dragons’ Den in 2021 had already built up a diverse portfolio of ventures and has racked up millions of followers, fans and outspoken critics across social media.

But what exactly is Steven Bartlett best known for and how did he really make his fortune?

Social Chain

Bartlett, who was born in Botswana and raised in Plymouth, attended Manchester Metropolitan University and later dropped out at 19.

It paved the way for him to launch social media marketing agency Social Chain, alongside Dominic McGregor back in 2014. The fast-growing agency grew from a team of four to over 250 staff globally, counting the likes of Superdry, Sky Bet and Revolution Bars Group among its clients.

Following its expansion on Portland Street, the agency was spread across 15,000 sq ft of office space and had a number of quirky features from an indoor ‘jungle’, New York subway-style meeting pods to production studios.

The company went public in 2019 through a reverse merger with German online retailer Lumaland, creating Social Chain AG. Its success significantly contributed to Bartlett’s net worth, reportedly in the region of £50m at the time.

By the time Bartlett stepped down as CEO in 2020, Social Chain had already become a well-known name globally.

Then in 2023, the agency was sold to London’s Brave Bison for £7.7m. It sparked an online debate, with many questioning how the Northern success story had suddenly been sold off for a bargain.

Bartlett moved quickly to dispel the swirling social media noise around the sale and the business, posting a lengthy statement to clarify that the corporate structure of the wider The Social Chain AG Group, owner of Social Chain agency, had not been sold.

“We called the new (listed) group The Social Chain AG and myself and Wanja became co-CEO’s of the group. All of my equity was in the publicly listed group. Over the next few years, me and Wanja raised capital and acquired agencies and commerce companies under the “Social Chain AG” brand,” he said, in the statement at the time.

Diary of a CEO

Bartlett is also the creator and host of The Diary of a CEO podcast. Launched in 2017, the podcast initially started out with audio-first content but expanded to include video and has featured interviews with leading names from Sir Richard Branson, Hollywood star Seth Rogan to comedian Jimmy Carr.

The Diary of a CEO has become one of the most popular business podcasts in the UK, generating significant revenue through sponsorships and advertising.

In November 2024, it became the first UK-produced podcast to reach 1bn viewers and listeners.

“The show began as a passion project with just me, my laptop, and a microphone, and it has grown into something I never imagined. I owe the success of The Diary Of A CEO to the now 50-strong team behind the scenes – this is a result of their hard work and talent. And, of course, to the guests who appear on the podcast and our listeners all over the world,” said Bartlett at the time of the figures being released.

But it’s not been entirely plain sailing. Last year, a BBC investigation said it found that Steven Bartlett is “amplifying harmful health misinformation” on the podcast, following unchallenged claims from guests on the show including that cancer and autism could be reversed by changing diet. It can’t.

In the UK, podcasts aren’t regulated. In response to the investigation, a spokesperson for Flight Story which is behind the podcast told the BBC:

“The Diary of a CEO [DOAC] is an open-minded, long-form conversation… with individuals identified for their distinguished and eminent career and/or consequential life experience.”

The content included a range of voices “not just those Steven and the DOAC team necessarily agree with.” The spokesperson added that the investigation had reviewed a “limited proportion of guests” out of the nearly 400 broadcast to date.

Investments and other ventures

Beyond Social Chain and his podcast, Bartlett has diversified his income streams through strategic investments.

In 2021, Bartlett invested in meal-replacement drink Huel. He also co-founded social media firm Flight Story in 2021 alongside Oliver Yonchev, which has made a number of acquisitions including Mint Performance Marketing in Los Angeles, web3 marketing collective Zebu, and Soho communications firm, R.Agency.

Under the Flight Story umbrella you’ll find studio arm Flight Studios, which is behind the Diary of a CEO podcast, and dual investment arms Flight Fund and Flight Ventures.

Last year, Bartlett invested in ‘disruptive, tech-enabled recruitment tech and talent agency’ Chapter 2.

In 2023, Bartlett’s Flight Fund invested $2.5m in personalised nutrition company ZOE.

Dragons’ Den and media presence

If that wasn’t enough, Bartlett is back for series 22 of Dragons’ Den, ready to invest in even more start-ups.

Some of the most notable companies on the show that caught his attention include wellness brand FULL POWER CACAO, after appearing on Dragon’s Den in early 2024. As the first ever guest investor on Dragons’ Den, Gary Neville took a £10k stake for 5% of the wellness brand while Bartlett and Peter Jones took 10% with £20k.

According to Moneyweek, Steven Bartlett’s net work is now estimated to be around £70m.

You can catch episode two of the new series of Dragons’ Den on BBC One tonight at 8pm.




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