The Entrepreneurs
A weekly deep dive into global business. Inspiring stories from startups to legacy brands in hospitality, design, fashion, and retail.
Latest Episodes
Pivoting with purpose: the founders channelling entrepreneurial smarts into game-changing organisations
Laura Hackney is the founder of AnnieCannons, an organisation that prepares vulnerable, overlooked people for sustainable careers in tech. Plus: The Fintech leader swapping payment platforms for a focus on women’s health.
The CEO making an art of outstanding service
Ben Clark runs Cadogan Tate, a world-leading specialist in the movement and care of fine art. Clark tells us how the wealthiest individuals and institutions collect and build across borders – and his plans for the business.
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.
