Steven Bartlett’s former business partner Oliver Yonchev has revealed details of his latest venture.
In September, Yonchev left digital marketing and communications company Flight Story, which he co-founded with the Dragons’ Den star three years ago.
Now he’s revealed his latest venture is called cocreatd, a venture studio for the marketing and creative industries.
Yonchev revealed they’ve already made two investments and plan to make 10 more investments before the end of 2025.
He’s joined forces with ex-Social Chain board member Paul Stevens; James Lawson Baker, founder and CEO of G-Force Media; and James Whittaker to launch the startup.
Explaining the new business he said: “What we do is straightforward: we invent, incubate and invest in marketing companies. We find amazing talent with big ideas and back them with everything they need to succeed – money, support, and a platform built for growth.”
Yonchev also took to LinkedIn to share his five predictions on the way people work.
“1. More and more talented people will break away and do their own thing – but starting a business is tough,” he said. “While tech startups have endless support, marketing entrepreneurs are often left to figure it out alone. That doesn’t make sense, especially when you consider marketing touches every sector.
“2. The exodus is real – incredible talent is leaving traditional agencies in droves. Instead of watching this happen, we want to give these people a chance to build something of their own.
“3. Technology isn’t just a tool – it’s reshaping how we work, how we structure our teams, and how we create value. There needs to be a more radical approach to leveraging technology, if marketeers want to thrive.
“4. AI is levelling the playing field. Sam Altman said we’ll see ‘the first solo billion-dollar company’ – and he’s right. Small teams can now out-compete the incumbents, who face diseconomies of scale. Size doesn’t matter; talent does.
“5. Despite all the technological change, the future will always belong to the people who create it. Those are our people.”
Yonchev started his career on a BBC graduate programme before moving to Bauer Media.
He eventually joined Social Chain, which was co-founded by Bartlett and Dominic McGregor.
When he left Flight Story, Yonchev singled out Bartlett for special praise after working together for nearly a decade.