Steven Bartlett

Steven Bartlett was born on August 26, 1992, in Botswana to a Nigerian family before moving to the UK at a young age. Growing up in Plymouth, England, he faced challenges including a difficult home environment, which fueled his entrepreneurial drive. At 18, while studying at the Manchester University, he dropped out to co-found Social Chain, a social media marketing agency targeting Gen Z audiences, bootstrapping it with minimal resources. Social Chain rapidly scaled, achieving unicorn status valuation and going public on the London Stock Exchange in 2020 through a SPAC merger, making Bartlett one of the UK's youngest self-made millionaires. He stepped down as co-CEO in 2020 to pursue new ventures, reflecting on lessons from rapid growth and burnout. This period marked his shift toward personal development, emphasizing stress management and performance recovery. In 2021, Bartlett launched Flight Story, a media and marketing company, and Flight Fund, a venture capital fund investing in early-stage startups, particularly in health, wellness, and social impact sectors. He also debuted 'The Diary of A CEO' podcast, which became Europe's #1 podcast, featuring interviews with leaders on topics like community building and mental health. Bartlett authored bestselling books like Happy Sexy Millionaire (2021), sharing his philosophy on success beyond wealth. Today, Bartlett continues as a Dragon on BBC's Dragon's Den (since 2021), invests in over 100 companies, and advocates for entrepreneurial education and social mobility. His interests in performance recovery and stress management are evident in his podcast content and investments.