Whisper it quietly, but has Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett rediscovered his Midas touch, if indeed he ever lost it?
In the past week, two companies he has invested in have been making global headlines.
On March 23, sports nutrition brand Huel was acquired by Paris-based food giant Danone in a deal worth €1bn.
Bartlett, 33, was a director of Huel for nearly four years before stepping down in 2025 after coming under fire for promoting the brand on Facebook without disclosing his role.
Despite the controversy, he has remained on good terms with Huel founder Julian Hearn, speaking about the ‘beautiful, emotional and reflective call’ the two shared when news of the deal broke.
Fire: Steven Bartlett became the youngest Dragon on Dragons’ Den at the age of 28
He added: “This company changed my life in so many ways… as a customer, an investor, a board member and as a partner. This company beat all the odds, a great British success story.”
It is unclear how much Bartlett made from his investment in Huel, but it is hard to disagree with The Sun’s estimate of £10m.
WHOOP WHOOP
Another company that has played a major role in his journey is wearable tech brand WHOOP, which yesterday hit a $10bn valuation after raising £575m in Series G funding.
Bartlett is also an investor in WHOOP, reflecting his wider interest in the health and wellness space.
The company has also entered into a lucrative partnership with The Diary Of A CEO, which Bartlett has described as a ‘game-changer’ for his own health.
The value of his investment in WHOOP has not been disclosed, although given the company’s $10bn valuation it is likely to run into the millions.
Bartlett is also an ambassador for WHOOP and features the company prominently on his personal website, where he has written about how its technology helps track his running.
His association with WHOOP goes beyond investment.
Founder and CEO Will Ahmed appeared on The Diary Of A CEO podcast in 2022, while Bartlett later appeared on Ahmed’s podcast in October 2023.
Yesterday, Bartlett tagged Ahmed in a post to his 4.9m Instagram followers celebrating the valuation, writing: “Congratulations to my WHOOP family. A world-changing product.”
The Huel and WHOOP announcements cap a strong six-month period in Bartlett’s professional and personal life.
Last October, his new company Steven.com announced it had secured a major eight-figure investment in a deal valuing the business at $425m (£320m).
Steven.com is a US-incorporated entity serving as the parent company for Bartlett’s creator businesses, including FlightStory, and is designed to support international expansion, particularly in the American market.
The Diary of a CEO has reached 15 million subscribers on YouTube and a further four million on Spotify
In an exclusive interview with BusinessCloud, Bartlett said he was less than 1 per cent of the way through his journey.
“If we do a good job in laying good foundations, I think the business will exist long after I am gone,” he said.
‘Insane’ Groq deal
At the end of 2025, American AI company Groq confirmed it had entered into a ‘licensing agreement’ with the world’s most valuable company, US chip giant Nvidia.
The size of the deal hasn’t officially been confirmed but it’s widely speculated to be $20bn, making it Nvidia’s largest-ever deal by some margin.
As part of the deal, Groq’s ‘genius’ CEO and founder Jonathan Ross joined Nvidia, along with COO and President Sunny Madra and several members of the Groq team.
It was also good news for Bartlett, who made a seven-figure investment into Groq and described it as ‘absolutely insane’.
At the time of the deal, Bartlett wrote: “After a call with Jonathan Ross, the founder of Groq, a little while ago – I was absolutely convinced I was speaking to a very very rare genius. Accordingly I wrote the biggest cheque I could and invested into Groq. No surprise to read this headline today.”
The serial entrepreneur is an investor in around 60 businesses, including nutrition brand Zoe, matcha drink PerfectTed and hydration brand Cadence.
PerfectTed
PerfectTed has become the most valuable company to emerge from Dragons’ Den after securing an investment deal valuing it at $200m.
Bartlett is a significant investor in the firm, which also occupies a floor of his London offices. He speaks regularly with its co-founders Marisa Poster, Levi Levenfiche and Teddie Levenfiche.
Away from his investments, The Diary Of A CEO has reached 15 million subscribers on YouTube and a further four million on Spotify.
On Christmas Day, Bartlett also got engaged to his long-term partner Melanie Lopes in Morocco, sharing the news on Instagram in January 2026.
