Celebrity entrepreneur Steven Bartlett has told Arabian Business the UK is facing a “huge millionaire exodus” following COVID-19 with many relocating to the UAE.
The 32-year-old who splits his time between London, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco also shared his plans to move to Dubai “within the next five years.”
Speaking exclusively to Arabian Business from the Sharjah International Book Fair before giving a talk about his book and podcast ‘The Diary of a CEO’, Bartlett said: “There are a lot of entrepreneurs leaving the UK. We’ve seen this huge millionaire exodus especially post-COVID. Many are moving to the UAE because the region is incredibly entrepreneurial.”
Praising the UAE’s business ecosystem, Bartlett added: “There’s something to be said for the way the government here is structured. The way the royal families have structured the region means there’s less bureaucracy and faster decision making.”
For the author and TV-star, the UAE’s appeal is clear, “It’s everything, it’s the lifestyle, it’s the crime, it’s the business-friendly environment, it’s the tax it’s the weather. I’ve got loads of friends that have left the UK and come here.”
Bartlett who dropped out of school, went on to start his own company from his bedroom and was a millionaire by the age of 23. He became the youngest-ever investor to join the BBC’s ‘Dragon Den’ show in 2022.
Bartlett’s podcast, The Diary of a CEO, which has amassed more than a billion downloads sees the businessman speak to some of the world’s most influential people, experts and thinkers. Something he could soon bring to the UAE.
“I speak to Khalfan [Belhoul] who’s the head of Dubai Future Foundation about this and about my fund and about the things we could do here. So, I reckon there’s a probability that someday I could be here,” he revealed.
Adding, “I actually think that I could end up living permanently in the UAE within the next five years. I’ve had a conversation with my partner, and we came out here and started viewing houses in Dubai, just in case a few things happen in my life.”
Despite his admiration for the UAE, Bartlett remains pragmatic about the region’s potential to attract the next wave of game-changing innovators. “America is the place where really important companies are being built,” he said. “But I’d like to see the Middle East attract the most talented founders that are going to build the next world-changing companies.”
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