Steven Bartlett and Authentic launch OBSN, set to invest up to $400m in creator businesses

Steven Bartlett has launched a new venture aimed at building larger businesses around major creators, backed by an ambition to deploy up to $400 million into creator-led companies over the coming years.

Called OBSN, short for Obsession, the venture pairs Bartlett's creator holding company Steven.com with Authentic Brands Group, which manages more than 50 brands across over 150 countries.

The companies said Steven.com will bring its experience in content and audience growth, while Authentic supplies what typically sits behind a consumer brand – product development, licensing, retail partnerships and global distribution.

In practice, that means a creator working with OBSN could use it to launch products or license their name or IP, without having to build that infrastructure themselves.

"The next generation of global media companies and consumer brands will be built around creators," Bartlett said. "But a global audience of millions is not yet a company, and it certainly should not be the ceiling of a creator's potential."

The venture builds on the model Bartlett has been assembling through Steven.com, which sits above a growing stable of his own media and technology ventures, including The Diary of a CEO, Flight Studio, Stan Store and Flightcast.

Matt Maddox, president and chief executive of Authentic, said the partnership would "identify, invest in and scale creator-led IP," describing major creators as increasingly capable of becoming "multigenerational brands in their own right."

OBSN will also operate as a media and events platform for the creator economy, publishing news and analysis alongside live experiences including festivals and awards.

The venture debuted at a creator-focused event in New York on September 14, with a fireside conversation between Bartlett and Authentic founder and executive chairman Jamie Salter.