The Entrepreneurs
A weekly deep dive into global business. Inspiring stories from startups to legacy brands in hospitality, design, fashion, and retail.
Latest Episodes
Pivot quickly and don’t take anything too personally: business lessons from a six-time Silicon Valley CEO
We discuss the ups and downs of starting a business with serial entrepreneur Mike Grossman, author of Failure Is an Option. Plus: Champagne and Friends founder Dan Roznov on the industry’s climate-related challenges.
Cool for the summer: Fruttini’s ‘fruit givré’
We meet Marie-Laure Pollet co-founder of Fruttini, a playful haute-glacerie in Paris serving refreshing ‘fruit givré’. She tells Monocle’s Fernando Augusto Pacheco about the frozen-dessert business and breathing new life into a retro French favourite.
How e-bike operator Forest got more Londoners on two wheels
We meet Caroline Seton, co-founder of Forest, an e-bike operator in London offering affordable, app-based bike hire across the capital. Plus: Gustav Gyllenhammar, Spotify senior vice-president of markets and subscriptions, talks about the company’s impressive growth as it celebrates its 20th anniversary.
Can Qantas’ Project Sunrise redefine long-haul travel?
We are in Toulouse as Qantas unveils the aircraft that it hopes will redefine long-haul travel with 22-hour direct flights from Sydney to London and New York. Plus: we meet the CEO of Aquarius Aerial Firefighting.
No booze, no lose: Meet the founders drinking to an alcohol-free future
As more alcohol-free drinks hit the shelves, we meet two founders who carved their own path in the booming market. Lucy Isles talks about Sablière, an alcohol-free sparkling cuvée from Edinburgh. And: we head to Merano to meet Maria-Elisabeth Laimer, co-founder of Italy’s first handcrafted alcohol-free beer, Freedl.
The case for sabbaticals: Why businesses benefit when workers take ‘Big Time Off’
Harvard Business School lecturer DJ DiDonna talks about the importance of sabbaticals and why intentionality in time away from work is a win-win for employees and bosses alike. He shares findings from his new book, ‘Big Time Off: The Transformative Power of Sabbaticals and How to Take One’.
Neurospace: How a Berlin space start-up landed contracts with Nasa and SpaceX
We meet the founder of Neurospace, the only privately funded German space start-up to have secured contracts with both Nasa and SpaceX. Plus: We visit Slatnar, a Slovenia-based ski-maker.
Skyfirst CEO Olivier Perdriel on geopolitical flight-path disruptions and the future of private aviation
Olivier Perdriel stops by Monocle’s Paris bureau to discuss his boutique aviation business, which started with a single aircraft and now operates a fleet of long-range and ultra-long-range jets. He discusses navigating geopolitical uncertainty and why relationships remain his company’s greatest competitive advantage.
The business of better running with the founders of One Track Club
Anthony and Laura Fletcher, the husband-and-wife co-founders of One Track Club, discuss how they turned a free running club into a fast-growing business and share lessons on what it takes to scale a personalised service.
CEO Jean-Marie Mognetti on building CoinShares
Jean-Marie Mognetti, the CEO and co-founder of CoinShares, talks about how he helped build one of Europe’s leading-digital asset managers.
