Flight Story
Flight Story is a UK-based creator-media and investment company founded by Steven Bartlett that operates a podcast studio (The Diary of a CEO, We Need to Talk, Begin Again), an investment fund backing 42 companies, a publishing imprint with Penguin Random House, and consumer product lines, serving global audiences of self-improvement content consumers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Flight Story does
Flight Story is a privately held UK creator-media and investment company founded by Steven Bartlett in 2017 and headquartered at 73 Cornhill, London. It operates a multi-divisional platform spanning a podcast production studio (Flight Studio, producing The Diary of a CEO, We Need to Talk, Begin Again, and Science & Soul), an investment arm (Flight Fund and Flight Ventures backing 42 companies across health, biotech, blockchain, space, and consumer sectors with $400M equity value created), a publishing imprint (FlightStory Books, a 2024 joint venture with Ebury/Penguin Random House that has sold 950,000 copies across 41 countries), a direct-to-consumer product line (The 1% Diary, Conversation Cards, and DOAC Merch generating £3.5M revenue and 95,000 units sold), and a talent speaking and representation business delivering 225+ engagements across 50+ countries.
The company's distribution is anchored by The Diary of a CEO, which has 9M+ YouTube subscribers, 40M monthly podcast downloads, and 1B+ total streams, supplemented by Steven Bartlett's 25M social media following. Products and content are distributed through YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the flightstory.com e-commerce storefront, Penguin Random House and WHSmith retail for books, and Tesco/WH Smith/Holland & Barrett for portfolio-brand products like PerfectTed. Revenue is generated from a mix of podcast advertising and sponsorships, book royalties and publishing margins (via the Ebury partnership), merchandise and product sales, speaking fees and talent representation, and equity returns from the investment fund — though only the £3.5M product division revenue is explicitly disclosed.
Operationally, FlightStory employs 80+ team members across The Studio in London, with additional offices in Manchester, Los Angeles, and Boston. Leadership under Founder Steven Bartlett, CEO & Co-Founder Georgie Holt, and CRO & Co-Founder Christiana Brenton has been professionalized in 2025 with the appointment of Niki Aryana (BCG Managing Director/Senior Partner) as Chair and Claire Blunt (formerly of The Guardian, Future plc, and Hearst) as CFO/COO, signaling a transition from founder-led media brand to globally scaled media-investment platform.
Flight Story firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Flight Story
- Legal name
- FLIGHTSTORY
- Website
- https://flightstory.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Flight Story is a UK-based creator-media and investment company founded by Steven Bartlett that operates a podcast studio (The Diary of a CEO, We Need to Talk, Begin Again), an investment fund backing 42 companies, a publishing imprint with Penguin Random House, and consumer product lines, serving global audiences of self-improvement content consumers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Flight Story is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices6 records
Markets served
Flight Story business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Podcast Content & Media Production: FlightStory Studio produces podcasts (The Diary of a CEO, We Need to Talk, Begin Again) generating advertising revenue, brand partnerships, and sponsorship income. The flagship show has 1 billion+ streams.
- Merchandise & Branded Products: Sale of proprietary products including The 1% Diary, Conversation Cards, and DOAC Merch (sweatshirts, t-shirts, hoodies, caps). Generated £3.5M in revenue with 95K products sold globally.
- Publishing & Book Sales: FlightStory Books publishes titles by podcast guests and talent (e.g., Russ Cook, Codie Sanchez, Paul C. Brunson, Dr. Tara Swart) through a partnership with Ebury/Penguin. Sold 950K copies across 41 countries.
- Investment Fund (Flight Fund): Flight Fund invests capital in early-to-growth stage companies (Huel, WHOOP, ZOE, PerfectTed, SpaceX) in exchange for equity. Returns generated through portfolio exits and equity appreciation. $400M equity value created.
- Speaking & Talent Representation: FlightStory's talent roster (Steven Bartlett, Paul C. Brunson, Davina McCall, Dr. Tara Swart) generates speaking fees and talent representation income. 225+ speaking engagements delivered across 50+ countries.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Flight Story product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Flight Story is a creator-led media and investment company that produces podcasts and video shows (The Diary of a CEO, We Need to Talk, Begin Again), publishes books through a joint imprint with Ebury/Penguin Random House, sells branded physical products (The 1% Diary, Conversation Cards, DOAC Merch), represents a roster of speaking talent, and deploys capital into early- and growth-stage consumer and technology companies through Flight Fund and Flight Ventures.
Product overview
FlightStory is a creator media and investment company with a multi-product portfolio spanning podcasting (The Diary of a CEO, We Need to Talk, Begin Again), publishing (FlightStory Books in partnership with Ebury/Penguin), physical products (The 1% Diary, Conversation Cards, DOAC Merch), production services (FlightStory Studio), and investment (FlightStory Fund, FlightCast incubator). The company scales creator-led media brands to help people pursue more fulfilling lives, with operations across London, Manchester, New York, and Los Angeles.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Flight Fund: Investment fund backing disruptive European companies in blockchain, biotech, health, wellness, commerce, technology, and space sectors
- Flight Studio
- FlightStory Books
- Flight Ventures
- Flight Incubator
Products and services
- The Diary of a CEO Flagship long-form video-first podcast hosted by Steven Bartlett featuring deep conversations with entrepreneurs, experts, and thought leaders about success, mindset, and personal growth. Distributed on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
- We Need to Talk Podcast hosted by Paul C. Brunson dedicated to improving relationships through thought-provoking conversations with expert guests. Distributed across major podcast platforms.
- Begin Again Podcast hosted by Davina McCall celebrating transformation and reinvention in midlife, featuring celebrity and expert guests.
- FlightStory Studio
Quantifiable outcome
- 1.2 billion total downloads/streams across all content
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Flight Story
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Flight Story technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Flight Story partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Ebury Publishing (Penguin Random House)coreFlightStory Books is a joint venture between Steven Bartlett's FlightStory and Ebury Publishing (part of Penguin Random House). Ebury handles global distribution, editorial, and publishing infrastructure. The venture launched with Russ Cook's 'Hardest Geezer' memoir and expanded to titles by Codie Sanchez, Paul C. Brunson, Dr. Tara Swart, and Kristen Holmes.
- ThirdwebcoreSteven Bartlett co-founded Thirdweb, a software platform backed by Shopify and Coinbase that makes it easy to build web3 applications. Thirdweb is a sibling company under the Flight Group umbrella.
- Boston Consulting Group (BCG)flagshipNiki Aryana, a 25-year BCG veteran, Managing Director, and Senior Partner (also global leader for Media and Digital Transformation at BCG), joined FlightStory as Chair in July 2025 to accelerate global growth and strategic expansion. He brings expertise in media strategy, creator monetization, and international scaling.
- The Guardian Media GroupminorClaire Blunt, FlightStory's newly appointed CFO & COO, previously served as Chief Advertising Officer and CEO International at The Guardian Media Group, where she led global commercial strategy and digital transformation.
- Future plcminorClaire Blunt previously advanced to COO of Future plc, a leading digital media publisher reaching 400 million users monthly. She brings expertise in scaling global media operations.
- Hearst EuropeminorClaire Blunt served as Chief Financial, Operations & Data Officer at Hearst Europe for nearly 6 years, driving financial strategy and operational improvements in publishing.
- WHSmithcoreFlightStory Books products (including the 'Steven Bartlett Recommends' section) are distributed through WHSmith stores. The WHSmith partnership sold 150,000+ books across various authors during the initial collaboration period.
- Tinder (Match Group)corePaul C. Brunson serves as Global Insights Director at Tinder, hosting the 'We Need to Talk' podcast under FlightStory Studio while maintaining his role at Tinder. This unique talent partnership combines expert positioning with platform reach.
Scale indicators16 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Flight Story competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Wondery: Premium podcast production company (acquired by Amazon) that builds creator-led podcast brands with high production values and global distribution. Comparable to FlightStory Studio's video-first podcast approach serving similar content verticals (business, self-development, storytelling).
- Gimlet Media: Podcast production studio (now part of Spotify) known for narrative business and self-development content. Directly comparable to FlightStory Studio's model of producing premium creator-led podcasts with strong audience monetization.
- Lemonada Media: Independent podcast network focused on wellness, relationships, and personal development hosted by celebrity talent (including partnerships with Drew Barrymore, Kristen Bell). Highly comparable to FlightStory's celebrity-talent-led show strategy (Davina McCall, Paul C. Brunson).
- Pushkin Industries: Premium podcast production company co-founded by Malcolm Gladwell and Jacob Weisberg, producing business, history, and self-development content. Comparable creator-led media model with strong host-driven brands and book-extension products.
- Rhett & Link / Mythical Entertainment: Creator-led entertainment company built around two personalities, spanning video content, podcasts, consumer products, and a venture-style business model. Highly comparable multi-revenue vertical structure to FlightStory's Studio/Fund/Products approach.
Broad incumbents
- iHeartMedia: Largest US radio and podcast publisher, owner of iHeartPodcast Awards (where FlightStory won Best International Podcast 2025). Operates at much larger scale as a multi-platform audio network encompassing podcast production, distribution, and live events.
- Rooster Teeth: Creator-led digital media company (now owned by Warner Bros. Discovery) producing podcasts, video, and branded content. Comparable business model of building audience through long-form creator content and extending into merchandise.
- Penguin Random House (Ebury): Global publishing conglomerate whose Ebury division is FlightStory's book publishing joint venture partner. Comparable in publishing capabilities and talent-driven non-fiction catalog, and a strategic counterparty for any scaling of the publishing vertical.
- Patreon: Creator monetization platform enabling creators to build subscription-based businesses. Adjacent peer given FlightStory's creator-led model of converting audience attention into product, book, and speaking revenue streams.
Emerging players
- Antler: Global early-stage venture investor backing exceptional founders across geographies and sectors. Comparable to Flight Fund's model of deploying capital into disruptive early-to-growth-stage companies, though Antler operates at materially larger scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Flight Story social profiles
Digital presenceFlight Story financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Flight Story leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Flight Story subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries7 records
Flight Story funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Flight Story M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A3 records
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Flight Story
What does Flight Story do?
Flight Story is a creator-led media and investment company that produces podcasts and video shows (The Diary of a CEO, We Need to Talk, Begin Again), publishes books through a joint imprint with Ebury/Penguin Random House, sells branded physical products (The 1% Diary, Conversation Cards, DOAC Merch), represents a roster of speaking talent, and deploys capital into early- and growth-stage consumer and technology companies through Flight Fund and Flight Ventures.
Is Flight Story a public or private company?
Flight Story is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Flight Story founded?
Flight Story was founded in 2017. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Flight Story based?
Flight Story is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Flight Story make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Podcast Content & Media Production is the primary driver. The others are merchandise & Branded Products, publishing & Book Sales, investment Fund (Flight Fund) and speaking & Talent Representation.
Who are Flight Story's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Wondery, Gimlet Media, Lemonada Media, Pushkin Industries and Rhett & Link / Mythical Entertainment. Broad incumbents are iHeartMedia, Rooster Teeth, Penguin Random House (Ebury) and Patreon. Antler is listed as an emerging player.
Does Flight Story have an API?
No public API is recorded for Flight Story.