British Mega-Entrepreneur Announces $100M Fund for Female-Founded Startup Companies

There is faith in the female founder. A new venture capital fund is set to highlight Europe’s next shining star.

British businessman Steven Bartlett announced via Instagram the launch of a VC fund called Flight Story Fund (FSF). The $100 million fund will be dedicated to advancing start-up companies and investing in what Bartlett calls “the next female-founded unicorn.”

A source said that the self-made millionaire is focused on uplifting the next generation of entrepreneurs. “At this phase of my life, making a load of money doesn’t seem a significant enough motivator to go through hardship,” he said. “My passion in life is building companies, taking things from 0 to 100.”

For the last few years, the mega-entrepreneur has built an amazing network of investors and CEOs. He promotes the work he’s done on the highly rated podcast, The Diary of a CEO.

Calling his network “Europe’s most successful entrepreneurs,” the 30-year-old has tagged in some mutually successful business owners to assist with FSF. Big names like founder and CEO of sports nutrition giant Grenade, Alan Barratt and Christian Angermayer, and billionaire founder of biotech firm Atai Life Sciences, Christian Angermayer, are joining Bartlett’s mission.

“It’s going to enable me to use my network, my resources, to build greater companies, to accelerate them in a way that I don’t think they would be able to accelerate otherwise,” Bartlett said.

The plan for FSF is to invest $1 million to $10 million annually for at least 10 Europe-based early-stage startups. While it hasn’t been announced how much of the $100 million fund has closed, Bartlett said he has “verbal and contractual commitments for the entire amount.”

Bartlett is no stranger to the business world. Featured on Forbes 30 Over 30 list, Bartlett has launched several successful global companies since 2015, including Social Chain, Flight Story and Thirdweb. He also acquired R. Agency, a PR and communications resource in 2021.