Who Is Steven Bartlett? Our Guide To The New Dragon In The Den

Just last year, Steven Bartlett stepped up to become the youngest ever investor on Dragon’s Den. But who exactly is he and how did he make his fortune?

Who is new dragon, Steven?

If you’re a fan of Dragon’s Den, you’re likely to have heard of Steven Bartlett by now. But who is he, and how did he earn his place on this famous show?

Steven Bartlett’s website describes him as being an entrepreneur, investor, speaker, author and Dragon. This gives us an idea of the type of person that Steven is – he’s highly driven and a true businessman. Let’s take a look at where it all started, and how he became a millionaire so young.

Steven Bartlett was born in August 1992, meaning that he will be turning 30 years old later this year. He was born in Botswana, Africa, and moved to Plymouth at just one year old. It was here that he grew up, attending a local secondary school and then moving onto sixth form. At the age of 18, Bartlett enrolled in a Business Management course at Manchester Metropolitan University, but he dropped out after just one lecture to pursue his dream of setting up a business.

You might be wondering how a university drop out became one of the investors on Dragon’s Den. Read on to find out.

How did Steven Bartlett get rich?

So, how did Steven Bartlett make his millions and earn his place on Dragon’s Den?

Well, in 2013, soon after dropping out of university, Bartlett started his first business, Wallpark, an online student messaging board. The aim of this platform was to connect students who had common interests, to make friends, share events and even sell their old textbooks.

Alongside this, he managed student events, whilst slowly growing his network. A year later, he co-founded Manchester-based social media marketing company Social Chain, alongside friend Dominic McGregor.

It was the founding of Social Chain in 2014 that was the true making of Steven Bartlett. The business quickly became the fastest growing social media agency in Europe, gathering clients such as McDonald’s, Apple and the BBC. At this point, the agency had a collective reach of more than 200 million people and boasted a market valuation in excess of £300 million. He remained the CEO of Social Chain until 2020, when he made the decision to leave the business.

In 2017, Bartlett launched his own podcast, titled ‘The Diary of a CEO’. This business podcast features a mixture of guests including both entrepreneurs and celebrities, such as Lee Chambers, Ben Francis, Liam Payne, Rio Ferdinand and Ant Middleton. In 2021, the podcast earned the title of Europe’s most downloaded business podcast, cementing Bartlett’s fame even further.

But it doesn’t end there – Steven Bartlett has also featured in a Channel 4 series entitled ‘The Secret Teacher’. During this 2019 series, Bartlett went undercover as a teacher at a school in Liverpool. Perhaps it was this TV fame that inspired him to join Dragon’s Den two years later!

Steven Bartlett is also a published author, after releasing his debut book in 2021. ‘Happy Sexy Millionaire’ quickly became a Sunday Times Bestseller, reinforcing Bartlett’s popularity both in the UK and across the globe as an entrepreneur and inspiration.

What does Steven Bartlett own?

Now that you know how Steven Bartlett earned his fortune and his place on Dragon’s Den, you might be wondering what companies he owns or has a share in nowadays.

As of February 2022, Steven Bartlett’s portfolio includes:

• Flight Story – Founded alongside Oliver Yonchev in 2021, Flight Story is a communication and talent platform that enables businesses to build an investor community for their business.
• Thirdweb – Founded alongside Furqan Rydhan, Thirdweb is a software start-up that enables developers to create apps without the need to write code.
• Atai Life Sciences – Bartlett recently invested in this pharmaceutical company which is going through clinical stages to transform the treatment of mental health conditions. The company was listed on the US stock exchange in June 2021.
• Catena Capital – Founded by Bartlett in August 2020, this London-based private equity investment vehicle backs businesses that pledge to make the world a better place. It currently has investments in sectors such as biotech, consumer technology, artificial intelligence and social media.
• Huel – Bartlett invested in food replacement company Huel at the end of 2020, after falling in love with the business as a customer.

This impressive portfolio of businesses reflects the trust that business owners have in Bartlett, as well as his entrepreneurial talents. This also explains how he earned his place in the Dragon’s Den, giving him the opportunity to invest in even more businesses to expand his portfolio further.

How rich is Steven Bartlett?

At the tender age of 29, Steven Bartlett has racked up an impressive fortune. The companies in which he has a stake have an estimated value of more than £300 million, whilst he is estimated to be worth approximately £50 million.

In 2020, Steven Bartlett was named on the Forbes 30 under 30 list, reflecting his impressive fortune that he has earned as an entrepreneur.

Who is Steven Bartlett replacing?

As Steven Bartlett joins Dragon’s Den, you might be wondering who he is replacing. After all, there is only space for five Dragons in the Den.

Bartlett has replaced Tej Lalvani on Dragon’s Den. This means that he now sits alongside Deborah Meaden, Peter Jones, Touker Sulleyman and Sarah Davies in the Den.

In a recent interview, Steven Bartlett admitted that he had been watching Dragon’s Den since the age of 12 years. In fact, it was the show that inspired him to jump into the world of business and to become the entrepreneur that he is today.

What does Steven Bartlett invest in?

Steven Bartlett has invested in a vast range of businesses over the years, from social media marketing firm Social Chain to food replacement company Huel. But what do these businesses tell us about the type of person that Steven Bartlett is, and are there any patterns forming?

Bartlett appears to invest mainly in businesses which aim to make the world a better place, securing a brighter future for generations to come. He also favours businesses operating in the technology sector, supporting the advancement of technology, the development of artificial intelligence and the digitalisation of modern life.

This gives us some idea of the types of businesses that Steven Bartlett is likely to favour during his time on Dragon’s Den, so we may be able to predict the type of company that he may invest in during the course of the series.

Is Steven Bartlett a billionaire?

We’ve already established that Steven Bartlett has racked up an impressive wealth thanks to his fantastic business sense and entrepreneurial personality. But is Steven Bartlett a billionaire?

Steven Bartlett is estimated to be worth around £50 million, whilst the businesses in which he has invested are worth around £300 million. So, whilst Steven Bartlett is most definitely a millionaire, he is not yet a billionaire. However, if the past is anything to go by and Bartlett continues on the same path, it wouldn’t surprise us if he becomes a billionaire in the near future!

How did Steven Bartlett start Social Chain?

It’s clear that Social Chain was the making of Steven Bartlett, and the reason that he shot to fame and earned his place on Forbes 30 under 30 list. But how exactly did he go about setting up the company?

We’ve already discussed Bartlett’s first business venture, Wall Street. This was a social media like platform that aimed to connect students together. It was during the process of growing Wall Street that Steven Bartlett met Dominic McGregor. McGregor was a student at Edinburgh University at the time, and ran a Twitter account that posted funny and relatable content which was aimed at students. He had amassed a large following and was extremely popular amongst students. Bartlett liked what he saw, and contacted Dominic McGregor to share his vision for a new business.

This business would take Dominic’s social media skills and intertwine them with a brand’s message to effectively promote the brand to potential customers on social media. McGregor was enamoured with the vision and soon left university himself to join forces with Bartlett and create Social Chain.

The company’s first client was the game Tippy Tap. Within weeks, the game was at the top of the app store, even making UK news headlines. This success led to brands such as Spotify, Just Eat, Amazon, Coca Cola, Microsoft and Puma approaching Social Chain to assist with their social media marketing.

No matter how popular and successful Social Chain became, its headquarters remained based in Manchester, as this is where Steven Bartlett felt most comfortable and was proud to call his home. This reflects the down to earth personality of Bartlett.

Why did Steven Bartlett leave Social Chain?

In the light of Social Chain’s success, it’s understandable that you might be confused as to why Steven Bartlett would decide to leave the business. From 2014, Bartlett was the CEO of this successful business, but in August 2020, Bartlett and McGregor both announced their intention to step down from the business.

Bartlett has never fully explained his reasoning for stepping down from the business that he founded. However, it is thought that he simply wanted a change in direction, after managing the company for over six years.

Soon after leaving Social Chain, Steven Bartlett founded Catena Capital. This is a private equity investment company that invests funds in companies that aim to create a better future for the world. This includes industries such as health and wellness, artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, biotech and space.

We may never know the exact reason that Steven Bartlett decided to leave Social Chain. Perhaps he simply outgrew his business and decided to take on a new challenge.

How old is Steven Bartlett?

Steven Bartlett was born in August 1992. This makes him 29 years old, as of February 2022. He is currently the youngest Dragon to ever appear on Dragon’s Den, and was recently named in the Forbes 30 under 30 list.

What does Steven Bartlett do now?

You might be wondering what exactly Steven Bartlett does, now that he has moved on from Social Chain.

Steven Bartlett is an entrepreneur, as well as being an inspirational speaker, an investor, an author, a podcaster and a Dragon on Dragon’s Den. He has a stake in businesses including Catena Capital, Flight Story, Thirdweb and Huel, as well as having his own podcast titled ‘The Diary of a CEO’. He also wrote the book ‘Happy Sexy Millionaire’.

However, Bartlett is perhaps most famous as being the newest Dragon on series 19 of Dragon’s Den. He is the youngest Dragon to ever join the series and sits alongside Deborah Meaden, Peter Jones, Touker Sulleyman and Sarah Davies in the Den.

In summary

If you are a fan of Dragon’s Den, you’ve probably noticed the latest addition of Steven Bartlett as one of the Dragons in the series. You might be interested to learn that Bartlett actually dropped out of university after his first lecture, to pursue his dream of creating his own business. It was this drive and determination that earned him his place on Forbes 30 under 30 list, as well as his seat in the Dragon’s Den.

Bartlett’s story can be an inspiration to all. From students aspiring to start their own business, to business owners that are finding it hard to get their business off the ground, we can all learn something from Steven Bartlett. Next time you see him in the Den, you’ll know a little more about him, from where he came from to how much he’s worth. We can’t wait to see what he invests in next!