Wallpark and Social Chain AG
In 2013, Bartlett founded Wallpark, an online messaging board.[16]
In 2014, he co-founded Social Chain, a social media marketing company based in Manchester, along with Dominic McGregor.[17] In 2019, Social Chain and German online retailer Lumaland merged to become The Social Chain AG, listing on Xetra and the Düsseldorf Stock Exchange.[17] The listing valued the business at over $200 million.[18] In 2019, the Financial Times reported that Bartlett and Wanja Oberhof would jointly manage Social Chain AG, which was valued at €186M at the time that it merged with Lumaland.[19]
In November 2021, Social Chain AG moved to the Frankfurt Stock Exchange's prime standard reaching a valuation of $600 million. As of June 30, 2022, Social Chain AG (the holding company) consisted of 64 companies according to its half-year financial report.[20] Bartlett stepped down as CEO in 2020 because he did not agree on the direction of the company.[21][22] Bartlett's website initially said that he founded a $600 million company. However, The Times reported that Bartlett had left the business at the time of the second listing.[23]
Bartlett stated to The Times that he retained a "significant" shareholding in Social Chain AG at the time of the second listing and that he was under contract to work for the company "on a range of strategic matters" at the time of the $600m valuation, including the up-listing to the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, for which he received a "further package of virtual shares/options".[23][24] Bartlett's original company Social Chain Ltd. (one company within Social Chain AG) was later sold for £7.7m.[25]
Thirdweb
Thirdweb, a Web3 startup founded by Bartlett, raised $5m in seed investment, and an additional $24 million in 2022, nine months after going live. The Series A funding round valued the startup at $160 million.[26] The funding was led by Katie Haun's $1.5 billion crypto fund, with participation from investors including Coinbase Ventures, Shopify, and Polygon. The company aims to simplify the process of building decentralized applications on the blockchain.[5]
Flight Story
Flight Story is a media and investment company founded by Bartlett. It comprises Flight Story Studio, a media production company, and Flight Story Fund, a $100 million investment fund.[27][28][29] The fund supports founders and high-growth start-ups in blockchain, biotech, health, commerce, technology, and space sectors. The fund had a stated goal to invest in around 20 companies, offering small stakes at discounted valuations in exchange for support from previous founders who are limited partners in the fund.[6] According to a report in The Times, Flight Fund had received criticism over a lack of transparency regarding its portfolio.[30]
In December 2025, FlightStory announced a seven-figure investment in Hot Smart Rich (HSR), a business founded by podcaster Maggie Sellers Reum.
Stan Store
In May 2025, Bartlett became a co-owner of US technology company Stan Store, a platform designed to help creator entrepreneurs launch and manage online businesses. As of that date, Stan Store reported $30 million in annual recurring revenue and $300 million in gross merchandise value.[32]
Ketone-IQ
In September 2025, Bartlett became a co-owner of US ketone drink company Ketone-IQ. As of that date, Ketone-IQ is distributed nationwide in Target, Sprouts, and other retailers.[33]
Flightcast
In October 2025, Bartlett, together with Roxcodes, a former engineer, announced the launch of Flightcast, a platform for video podcasters to grow their audiences.[34]
Groq
In 2024, Bartlett made a "seven-figure" investment in Groq, an American AI chip startup specializing in Large Language Model (LLM) inference technology.[35] Bartlett stated he was introduced to the company by talent manager Scooter Braun and invested after vetting the technology with AI advisors.[36] On December 24, 2025, it was announced that Groq had entered into a major acquisition deal with Nvidia for $20 billion.
Steven.com
In October 2025, Bartlett closed an eight-figure investment at a $425 million valuation, in his company Steven.com – the creator holding company that owns his creator media assets and creator ventures. The investment round was led by Slow Ventures and Apeiron Investment Group and is believed to be Europe’s largest creator holding company fundraising round.[37][38][39] Following the investment round, Bartlett retains majority ownership of more than 90%.[7]
