Steven Bartlett (businessman)

Steven Cliff Bartlett (born 26 August 1992) is an English entrepreneur, investor and podcaster. In 2014, he founded Social Chain, and in 2017, started The Diary of a CEO podcast, which Spotify Wrapped ranked second in its list of most popular podcasts globally in 2025.[1] In 2021, he began appearing as an investor on the BBC One show Dragons' Den.[2][3] He is the founder of several other ventures, including Flight Story, which consists of FlightStory Studio and FlightStory Fund;[4] Thirdweb;[5][6] and Steven.com.[7][8]

Early life

Steven Cliff Bartlett[9] was born on 26 August 1992[10] in Gaborone, Botswana to an English father and a Nigerian mother.[11] His mother left school at age seven and could not read or write; his father is a structural engineer.[12] Steven moved with his family to Plymouth, England, at age two. There, he grew up, attending a secondary school, Plymstock School, from which he was expelled in sixth form.[13][14][15] He went to study at Manchester Metropolitan University, but dropped out after one lecture.[14][16]

Business career and investment

The Diary of a CEO podcast

Bartlett has produced The Diary of a CEO podcast since 2017, in which he interviews guests.[40] By the early 2020s, The Diary of a CEO was one of the world's most listened-to podcasts.[41] In 2023, according to a podcast chart, The Diary of a CEO had the second largest weekly audience in the United Kingdom.[42]

Bartlett has been described as taking a largely apolitical stance on the podcast.[41] He has been criticised for having alternative medicine-related guests on his podcast whose assertions are not backed by, or contradict, scientific evidence,[43] and having other guests who promote medical misinformation without the claims being consistently challenged by Bartlett.[43]

Dragons' Den

Bartlett joined the long-running investment reality television program, Dragons' Den, in 2021. He was one of the five titular "dragon" investors to which aspiring entrepreneurs pitch their ideas/products and at the time the youngest to appear on the show.[2][3][44] On the show, Bartlett has invested in companies such as plant-based dog-food brand Omni, matcha energy-drink maker PerfectTed and allergy-response start-up Kitt Medical.[45][46][47] In 2024, Bartlett was criticised for investing in "Ear Seeds", an acupuncture product pitched on the programme which falsely claimed to be able to cure myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, a debilitating, chronic condition. The BBC later added a disclaimer in the episode, stating the "Ear Seeds" were not intended as a cure, and medical guidance should be followed.[48]

Advertising guidelines breaches

The BBC, which currently airs Dragons' Den, reprimanded Bartlett in 2022 for breaching BBC guidelines on advertising after wearing jewellery on the program of a brand he promoted in posts on social media. In a statement, they told the Radio Times: "We have clear guidelines around talents' commercial activity while working with us. Steven has been reminded of the guidelines." In a statement, Bartlett addressed the issue, adding: "This was a genuine oversight on my part. The posts have now been taken down."[55]

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) took action against Bartlett in August 2022 for breaching the CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 2.1, 2.3 and 2.4, in which he advertised the meal replacement firm Huel on his The Diary of a CEO podcast without clearly disclosing its nature as an advertisement. The ASA ruled that the advertisement must not appear again in its current form and subsequently advised Bartlett and Huel to "ensure that they made clear the commercial intent of advertising content in podcasts in future, for example by including a clear and prominent identifier such as 'advertisement' and making sure the break from editorial content to the ad was clearly and audibly identified."[56][57]

In August 2024, advertisements featuring Bartlett by Zoe and Huel were banned by the advertising standards authority because they did not properly disclose their relationship with Bartlett.[58][59]

Recognition and public image

In 2020, Bartlett was inducted into the Manchester Hall of Fame. In the same year, he was included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.[22][60] In 2025, Bartlett was included in the inaugural Time 100 creator list – recognising the most influential people on the internet.[61] Bartlett's reputation among the general public has been described as polarising.[25]

Feminist writer Jessica Valenti said of Bartlett that "they don't see women as people" and alleged that he produces "incel propaganda dressed up as intellectual debate".[62]

In September 2023, Bartlett accompanied William, Prince of Wales, on Royal visits in Bournemouth after being announced as an advocate of his foundation, Homewards.[63] In March 2025, Bartlett joined the Prince of Wales on a visit to Aberdeen as part of the Homewards initiative, where they met with youth supported by local homelessness prevention programmes and businesses involved in the project.[64][65][66]

In 2025, Bartlett was named among the UK's most influential Black people on the Powerlist 2026, the list recognises the most influential individuals of African, African Caribbean, and African American heritage in the United Kingdom.[67][68][69]

In March 2026, Bartlett's podcast, The Diary of a CEO, won the award for Best Business & Finance Podcast at the 8th annual iHeart Podcast Awards.[70][71][72]

Books

In 2021, Bartlett published his first book, Happy Sexy Millionaire,[73] which was a Sunday Times bestseller.[74] In 2023, Bartlett released his second book, The Diary of a CEO: The 33 Laws of Business and Life,[75] in which he recollects topics from the podcast of the same name and condenses it into a published print version. The Diary of a CEO: The 33 Laws of Business and Life was shortlisted at The British Book Awards for Book of the Year after it became the fastest-selling personal development book since records began.[76][77]

Other activities

In 2019, he featured in the Channel 4 series The Secret Teacher,[78] going undercover at a school near Liverpool as a teacher.[79]

In September 2025, Bartlett appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, discussing various beliefs such as that he and his team always "sweat the small stuff".[80]

He created the private equity company Catena Capital,[81] in December 2020, then joined the board of directors of Huel, a meal replacement company, as a non-executive director.[82][6] In February 2025, he stepped down from the board of directors of Huel.[83] During his early years, Bartlett moonlighted as a rapper under the moniker "Lyricist".[25]

Personal life

In December 2025, Bartlett became engaged to his long-term partner from France, Mélanie Lopes. He confirmed the engagement publicly in January 2026 during an appearance on the Hot Smart Rich podcast.[84]

External links

• Flight Story Studio
• Stan Store
• Flightcast