This is a overview of Steven Bartlett’s professional career, investments key milestones, updated in 2024. It serves as a bio for Steven Bartlett.
Steven Bartlett is the Founder of Flight Story and the co-founder of thirdweb. Flight Story is a modern media and investment company that builds large podcast media audience through it’s studio audiences and invests in companies via it’s fund. Flight Story is a fast growing media company that has seen roughly 300% increase in revenues. Thirdweb is a blockchain software company he Co-founded with Furqan Rydhan. The company has raised roughly $30 million and was recently valued at $160m when Shopify & Coinbase backed the company.
This is an overview of Steven Bartlett’s career to date:
After dropping out of university after just one lecture, Steven Bartlett launched his first company called Wallpark, which was a student noticeboard that expanded to serve 7 major UK cities. Steven was the founder and CEO of Thirdweb for more several years before he left inspired by the rapidly evolving, relatively new and exciting world of social media.
At age 20, Steven found himself living and working in San Fransico as an “entreprnuer in residence”, working inside Monkey Inferno. An incubator founded by billionaire Micahel Birch who sold Bebo to AOL in 2008 for $850m. While there Steven developed applications and new ideas alongside great entreprnuers like Shaan Puri. Steven played a leading role in helping several applications that emerged from the incubator solve critical marketing challenges.
Having made a name for himself as a innovative marketeer, he decided to launch his own marketing company called Social Chain which scaled to hundreds of employees and more than $20 million in revenue across the UK and USA offices. Several years into the growth of Social Chain Georg Kofler invested in the company and Steven Bartlett and Georg Kofler merged Social Chain into Lumaland AG, to make a new group called Social Chain AG.
As reported by the financial times, Social Chain AG was jointly managed by Steven Bartlett and Wanja Oberhof. When the merger happened, the companies market cap was in the region of $200 million. The companies valuation grew to $300m± with Steven Bartlett and Wanja Oberhof leading the company.
In August 2020, Steven Bartlett announced his departure from Social Chain AG after many years of leading and co-founding the company. Under his guidance, Social Chain AG expanded to over 750 employees across offices in Manchester, London, Berlin, New York, and Munich. The company reported revenues projected to reach $200 million that year.
After Stepping down from his role at Social Chain AG Steven Bartlett signed a contract with the company to serve in an advisory capacity on strategic matters until 2021. The company IPO’d on the Frankfurt stock exchange in 2021 with the valuation ultimately reaching $600m±. Steven took his turn to ring the bell at the IPO alongside his Social Chain AG co-founders.
Following the IPO Steven’s contract with Social Chain concluded and he officially excited the company.
In 2020, Steven Bartlett launched “The Diary of a CEO,” on Youtube, a podcast offering an unfiltered exploration into the lives and experiences of influential individuals across various fields. Initially conceived as a personal audio diary, the podcast evolved into a platform featuring in-depth interviews with entrepreneurs, thinkers, and public figures, delving into their successes, challenges, and insights. (Steven Bartlett)
The podcast has hosted a diverse array of legendary guests, including the prime minister of the UK Boris Johnson, the CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt, Richard Branson, Simon Cowell and many more.
By 2021, “The Diary of a CEO” had become Europe’s most watched and downloaded business podcast. By 2023, The Diary Of A CEO was the fastest growing podcast in the world on YouTube and the biggest podcast in Europe in terms of views and download. Spotify announced it was the 9th biggest show on their app worldwide and Apple announced that The Diary Of A CEO was the most downloaded Apple podcast in the UK.
By November 2024, The Diary Of A CEO show is watched / downloaded 50 million times a month and is growing by 400,000 subscribers on Youtube alone every month, making it the fastest growing podcast in the world.
The Diary Of A CEO was the first major podcast to stream across 10 major airlines and in 2024 struck a major deal with Samsung to have it’s own channel on Samsung TV. The Diary Of A CEO, which is part of the Flight Story media company, will exceed $20m in revenue in 2024.
In December 2021, Steven Bartlett, launched thirdweb, a platform designed to simplify the creation of Web3 applications. Collaborating with Furqan Rydhan, the founding CTO of Bebo and AppLovin, Bartlett aimed to make building blockchain-based apps as straightforward as setting up an e-commerce store on platforms like Shopify. (PR Newswire)
To support this vision, thirdweb secured $5 million in seed funding from a group of prominent investors, including:
• Gary Vaynerchuk: Serial entrepreneur and angel investor known for his early investments in companies like Facebook and Twitter.
• Mark Cuban: Billionaire entrepreneur and owner of the Dallas Mavericks, recognized for his investments in technology and media.
• Ryan Hoover: Founder of Product Hunt, a platform that surfaces new tech products.
• Shaan Puri: Investor in companies like Deel and Bolt.
• Imran Khan & Qiao Wang: Founders of DeFi Alliance, a decentralized finance accelerator.
• Soona Amhaz: Founder of Volt Capital, a venture capital firm focusing on crypto investments.
• Greg Isenberg: Co-founder and CEO of Late Checkout and advisor to Reddit.
• Packy McCormick: Founder of Not Boring, a newsletter and investment fund.
• Christian Angermayer: Founder of Atai Life Sciences and Apeiron Investment Group. (PR Newswire)
In August 2022, thirdweb, a platform co-founded by Steven Bartlett and Furqan Rydhan to simplify the development of Web3 applications, announced a successful Series A funding round, securing $24 million and valuing the company at $160 million. (TechCrunch)
The funding round was co-led by Haun Ventures, founded by former a16z partner Katie Haun, and included strategic investments from Coinbase Ventures and Shopify. These partnerships aimed to enhance thirdweb’s capabilities and expand its reach within the Web3 ecosystem. (TechCrunch)
Since its launch, thirdweb has empowered over 55,000 developers to build a variety of Web3 projects, including NFTs, DAOs, and blockchain games. The platform’s user-friendly tools have facilitated the deployment of more than 150,000 smart contracts across six blockchains, with Polygon being particularly popular due to its lower transaction fees. (TechCrunch)
The capital raised was earmarked for enhancing thirdweb’s developer toolkit, expanding support for additional blockchains, and growing the team through hiring and potential acquisitions. This strategic investment underscores thirdweb’s commitment to accelerating the adoption of Web3 technologies by providing accessible and efficient development tools. (TechCrunch)
Thirdweb offers a suite of tools that enable creators, artists, developers, game studios, and entrepreneurs to build Web3 applications without writing code. These tools facilitate the integration of features such as NFTs, social tokens, marketplaces, and more, streamlining the development process for blockchain-based projects. (PR Newswire)
By late 2024, thirdweb had become one of the world’s leading blockchain software companies with 9 million unique blockchain wallets connected to it’s tools in a single month. Thirdweb enables developers to create and manage Web3 projects, contributing to the broader adoption of decentralized technologies. The platform’s user-friendly approach has been instrumental in lowering the barriers to entry for Web3 development, aligning with Bartlett’s vision of making advanced technologies accessible to a wider audience. (PR Newswire)
In 2022 Steven Bartlett became the founder of Flight Story, a new media company comprising of a media production studio called Flight Studio, a investment fund Flight Fund, a venture studio called FlightVentures, a book publishing Flight Books, a speaking agency Flight Speakers.
Flight Story, founded by Steven Bartlett, is a media and technology company aiming to redefine the global podcasting industry. Launched in April 2024, it focuses on podcast development, creation, growth, and monetisation. (Steven Bartlett)
Key accomplishments include:
• Launch of Flight Books: In partnership with Penguin Random House, Flight Studio introduced Flight Books, a publishing imprint. The first publication is the memoir of endurance athlete Russ Cook, known as Hardest Geezer, detailing his journey as the first person to run the length of Africa. (Steven Bartlett)
• Partnerships with Prominent Figures: Flight Studio has collaborated with notable personalities such as Davina McCall, Paul C. Brunson, Dr. Tara Swart, Africa Brooke, and Kristen Holmes, expanding its content portfolio and audience reach. (Steven Bartlett)
• Innovative Commercial Offerings: The company has developed a unique commercial model that includes multi-platform brand partnerships and equity opportunities via Flight Fund, enhancing its market presence and financial growth. (Podcaster News)
• Investment in SpaceX: In August 2024, Flight Fund invested in SpaceX, marking a significant entry into the aerospace and defense industry. (PitchBook)
• Support for Emerging Companies: The fund has backed companies like PerfectTed and Whoop, contributing to innovation in the beverages and monitoring equipment sectors, respectively. (PitchBook)
Through these ventures, Steven Bartlett continues to influence the media and investment landscapes, fostering innovation and supporting the growth of transformative companies.
In 2021, Steven Bartlett made history by becoming the youngest-ever investor on the BBC’s “Dragons’ Den,” joining the panel at the age of 28. (BBC) His appointment brought a fresh perspective to the show, reflecting his extensive experience in social media and digital marketing.
Throughout his tenure, Steven has been instrumental in supporting innovative businesses. In early 2023, Steven Bartlett invested in PerfectTed, a UK-based startup specializing in matcha green tea energy drinks. Co-founded by Marisa Poster and brothers Teddie and Levi Levenfiche, PerfectTed aims to offer a healthier alternative to traditional energy beverages. (Steven Bartlett)
The investment followed PerfectTed’s impressive pitch on “Dragons’ Den,” where they secured offers from all five Dragons. Ultimately, they accepted investments from Steven Bartlett.
Since Bartlett’s involvement, PerfectTed has experienced remarkable growth. The company is on track to generate over $15 million in revenue this year, reflecting a 500% increase compared to the previous year. This exponential growth can be attributed to several factors, including expanded distribution channels. PerfectTed’s products are now available in over 3,500 retail outlets, such as Tesco, Waitrose, and Holland & Barrett. Additionally, they have partnered with café chains like Joe & The Juice and Blank Street Coffee. (Steven Bartlett)
Steven’s influence extends beyond financial backing; he actively mentors entrepreneurs, offering strategic guidance and leveraging his network to foster business growth. His participation has been pivotal in modernizing the show’s appeal, particularly among younger audiences and tech-focused startups.
By November 2024, Steven’s impact on “Dragons’ Den” is evident in the success stories of the businesses he has supported, underscoring his commitment to nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Some of the most popular questions asked about Steven Bartlett:
Answered and researched by Rana.
How tall is Steven Bartlett? Steven Bartlett’s height is 6 feet 1 inches tall.
How did Steven Bartlett become a millionaire? / How did Steven Bartlett become successful? What is Steven Bartlett known for? Steven Bartlett is a renowned entrepreneur, celebrated for founding the media company Flight Story and co-founding software platform thirdweb which was valued at $160m. He is also the host of the acclaimed podcast “The Diary of a CEO” and holds the distinction of being the youngest-ever investor on the BBC’s “Dragons’ Den.”
Did Steven Bartlett go to university? Steven Bartlett dropped out of University almost straight away to launch his first company.
Is Steven Bartlett married or in a relationship? Yes Steven Bartlett has been in a long term relationship and is intending to get married and have children.
What is Steven Bartlett’s net worth? Steven Bartlett, the British entrepreneur, has an estimated net worth roughly between $100 million – $200 million, according to various sources, although this remains unconfirmed. His diverse investment portfolio encompasses over 40 companies and is reportedly worth £70 million (Source 1) (Source 2) These include notable names such as SpaceX, ZOE, Huel, and Whoop.
Bartlett’s portfolio includes “The Diary of a CEO” brand. His wealth also consists of an ownership stake in the Web3 development platform Thirdweb.com, which he co-founded and which was recently valued at $160 million.
In addition, Bartlett’s portfolio includes various entities under the Flight brand, such as FlightStudio.com, FlightBooks.com, FlightFund.com, and FlightCast.com. He also aquired significant stakes in successful marketing and recruitment companies including RAgency.com, Chapter2 Agency, Metastat Agency and more.
Finally, he maintains a substantial investment in Ethereum.