Steven Bartlett co-founded the social-media marketing agency Social Chain before joining Dragon's Den.
Bartlett established Social Chain in 2014 with Dominic McGregor. The company focused on social-media marketing, influencer campaigns and digital brand building, reflecting the rapid growth of online communities and platform-based advertising.
Social Chain expanded internationally and later became connected with The Social Chain AG, a publicly listed social-commerce group. Bartlett subsequently became known as an entrepreneur, author and podcast host as well as a television investor.
He joined Dragon's Den in 2021. Bartlett is sometimes described as the founder of Social Chain, but the more precise wording is that he co-founded it with McGregor. That distinction matters because the company began as a partnership between two entrepreneurs rather than as Bartlett’s sole enterprise.