Social chain founded by Steven Bartlett agrees to sell £7.7m to a rival

Social Chain, the social media agency founded by Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett, will be sold in a deal worth at least £7.7 million.

Digital and social media team Brave Bison announced on Friday that it has reached an agreement to buy Social Chain.

Mr. Bartlett, who is Dragon on the BBC show and also hosts the popular Diary Of A CEO podcast, founded the company in 2014.

Social Chain works with brands like Amazon, TikTok, KFC and Apple Beats to create social media advertising campaigns and perform influencer marketing services.

The business has a total staff of 122 employees, with offices in Manchester, New York and London.

Mr. Bartlett stepped down as director of Social Chain in 2020 and it is not known whether he will retain a stake in the company and therefore reap a financial benefit from the sale.

Social Chain used to be a subsidiary of German listed e-commerce operation The Social Chain AG.

The new buyer says the business will help Brave Bison increase revenue from social media advertising sevenfold to £15m for the year.

Brave Bison confirmed that it will pay an initial £7.7 million for the business but stressed that this amount could grow if Social Chain meets certain income targets.

Oliver Green, president of Brave Bison, said: “We have long admired Social Chain, which we believe is one of the most underrated social media and influencer marketing brands. highest in the world, and at the same time we are excited by the highly relevant customers it brings to our business.

“The social network chain has huge growth potential in Brave Bison, taking the momentum that Pete Metcalfe and team built using Steven Bartlett’s platform.

“We are excited to take this huge step forward as we continue to build a media, marketing and technology company for the new era.”