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Birmingham Post
Birmingham Post
Business
Jon Robinson

Steven Bartlett: Companies the Dragons' Den star has invested in

Steven Bartlett's business empire has taken off since he stepped away from running Social Chain.

The entrepreneur, who co-founded the business in Manchester with Dominic McGregor, left his role as chief executive in 2020 and has set his sights on investing in a wide variety of companies ever since.

His portfolio has also been transformed since he became the newest star of Dragons' Den earlier this month.

READ MORE: Steven Bartlett - All you need to know about the new Dragons' Den star

Here, BusinessLive highlights some of the companies which Mr Bartlett has invested in or founded since departing Social Chain.

Flight Story

Towards the end of 2021, Mr Bartlett launched a new business venture with a former managing director of Social Chain.

Mr Bartlett partnered with Oliver Yonchev to launch Flight Story which they have described as a "world first in-house communication and talent platform".

They added the new company provides public companies with the "people, process and technology they need to build a resilient retail investor community around their story".

The company has operations in Manchester, London and New York.

Read the full story here

Thirdweb

thirdweb (thirdweb)



A software start-up co-founded by new Dragons' Den star Steven Bartlett secured a $5m investment in recent months.

Thirdweb, which has offices in San Francisco and London, was established alongside Furqan Rydhan, who was founding CTO of Bebo and AppLovin.

The company provides tools for developers to build, launch and manage Web3 projects without the need to write lines of code.

The business secured a $5m investment from a group of high-profile business leaders including Gary Vaynerchuk and Mark Cuban.

Read the full story here

Atai Lif e Sciences

A company backed by new Dragons' Den star and Social Chain co-founder Steven Bartlett listed on a US stock exchange in June 2021.

Atai Life Sciences, which is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, completed its Nasdaq IPO.

The company is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical firm aiming to transform the treatment of mental health disorders.

The IPO was expected to have raised proceeds of $225m.

Read the full story here

R. Agency

A marketing consultancy co-founded by Dragons' Den star Steven Bartlett recently acquired a PR agency whose clients include dating apps Tinder and Hinge.

Flight Story, which launched towards the end of 2021 and was co-foundered by Oliver Yonchev, snapped up London-based R. Agency for an undisclosed sum.

The firm was set up by Rebecca Ridge in 2013 and currently employs 25 members of staff.

The agency's clients also include Joby, ClassPass, Calm and What3Words.

Read the full story here

cheesegeek

cheesegeek has secured an investment from Steven Bartlett (BBC)

Steven Bartlett made an artisan cheese retailer his first investment on Dragons' Den.

The millionaire entrepreneur, who co-founded Social Chain in Manchester alongside Dominic McGregor, bought a 5% stake in London-based cheesegeek for £150,000.

The investment was shown as part of the hit BBC One show's first episode on Thursday, January 6.

The deal was subject to Mr Bartlett's money being returned within two years.

Read the full story here

Piddle Patch

Dragons' Den star Steven Bartlett invested £50,000 in a company which sells soil-free, real-grass toilets for dogs.

The entrepreneur secured a 20% stake in Piddle Patch after seeing off three rival bids from is fellow Dragons during the second episode of this year's BBC One series.

The company was founded by Rebecca Sloan and is based in London.

Read the full story here

Catena Capital

(PA)


In August 2020, Mr Bartlett founded London-based Catena Capital.

The private equity investment vehicle specialises in venture capital deals and backs companies that "endeavour to make the future better for everyone, everywhere".

Its current investments include firms in consumer technology, AI, biotech, space and social media.

Huel

Huel (Huel)

In December 2020, Mr Bartlett became an investor in and joined the board of food replacement company Huel.

At the start of 2021, the entrepreneur said: "I’ve been a Huel customer for the last four years and I fell in love with the brand, it’s mission and Julian’s vision soon after.

"Huel isn’t just a category leading company, it’s a rare, great British success story – one with mindboggling potential.

"I’m bringing almost 10 years of experience in leading one of the world’s most advanced social media companies and working with many of the world’s biggest consumer brands to the board."

Read the full story here

The Little Loop

Steven Bartlett teamed up with Deborah Meaden to invest in a mum-of-two's subscription-based children's clothing business during an episode of Dragons' Den.

The entrepreneur backed Charlotte Morley's The Little Loop who asked for £70,000 for a 7.5% equity stake in the business.

In the end, she got £70,000 from both Dragons.

Read the full story here

Toucan

Steven Bartlett agreed to take a 7% share in a newly-launched app during an episode of Dragons' Den.

CEO Matt Crate and head of product Melody Truong of Toucan appeared on the BBC One show and their pitch saw all five Dragons make an offer.

However, it was the Social Chain co-founder who secured the deal.

Mr Crate said: "It was an honour to step into the famous Den and pitch Toucan to five brilliant entrepreneurial minds.

"Toucan taps into a gap in the market by bringing a much-needed digital revolution to charitable giving, at a time where charities are struggling more than ever due to the impact of the pandemic on their funding.

"We want to build a world where giving is second nature, and where our users can show what they stand for, by making donations fun, flexible and accessible to all."

The Healing Company

Steven Bartlett tok part in a $10m investment round into a New York-based wellness start-up in February 2022.

The entrepreneur has also taken a seat on the board of The Healing Company.

The business was co-founded by former IMG Model and supplement entrepreneur Anabel Oelmann alongside former Jet.com and Equinox Media president Simon Belsham.

Wellness icon Deepak Chopra also took a stake in the business as well as psychedelics entrepreneur Christian Angermayer.

Other investors included Social Chain CEO Wanja S. Oberhof and Avant Global founder Demetri Argyropoulos.

Russell & Atwell

A pair of entrepreneurs who make fresh chocolates secured new investment on hit BBC show Dragons' Den.

Steve Russell and Giles Atwell won the backing from Dragons Steven Bartlett and Peter Jones on tonight's show after receiving offers from all five members of the famous panel.

The pair's eponymous Birmingham company Russell & Atwell was set up in 2020 and now operates from a dedicated kitchen in Stirchley where they make five different flavours.

Read the full story here

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