13 February 2013
Episode 70
53 minutes
We visit Louis XIV’s favourite candle maker to see how they’re plying the wax trade in the 21st century, meet a radiologist-turned-designer who explains the medical influences on her work, and ask how a little email newsletter in Paris became big business.
13 February 2013
Share episode
DownloadWant more radio episodes like these in your inbox?
Sign up to Monocle's email newsletters to stay on top of news and opinion, plus the latest from the magazine, radio, film and shop.
The Entrepreneurs - latest episodes
Eureka 53: Unbound
Unbound is a London-based start-up that’s revolutionising the publishing world, giving authors the tools to pitch, crowdfund and launch their own books. This week, Unbound’s co-founder and chief executive Dan Kieran shares…
Bumble
For frustrated singles searching for soulmates the old-fashioned way, technology start-ups have provided a more efficient method of finding love: dating apps. One fast-growing addition to the field is the Austin, Texas…
Eureka 52: Lyndon Cormack
This week we hear the story of Herschel Supply, the brand built by two Canadian brothers in 2009 that now sells millions of bags a year in more than 70 countries. Co-founder Lyndon Cormack tells us how the company grew so…
WeWork
Founded in 2010, WeWork has become a global co-working behemoth. Operating almost 200 offices around the world from Bogota to Berlin the company now has a staggering valuation of $17bn. Two years ago we featured WeWork’s…
Eureka 51: Chris Kontos
Chris Kontos is an Athens-based photographer and DJ who focused his creative efforts with a friend in 2013 to launch a print magazine called ‘Kennedy’. Filled with gorgeous photo essays and profiles, Chris calls his passion…
AKQA
Ajaz Ahmed founded the creative and design agency AKQA after dropping out of university in the mid-1990s to help brands take advantage of the burgeoning digital revolution. AKQA now has more than 2,000 employees across 21…
Eureka 50: John Wood
On a trekking adventure through Nepal, John Wood noticed the lack of quality children’s books and learning materials. After returning home and quitting his executive job at Microsoft, he created Room to Read, one of the…
In search of top talent
As big corporations hunt for entrepreneurial candidates with digital know-how, smaller start-ups search for experienced executives to help them scale. Executive search firm Gordon and Eden is on a mission to bridge the…
Eureka 49: Seedrs
US entrepreneur Jeff Lynn is the co-founder and CEO of Seedrs, an equity-based crowdfunding service in London. Users can invest in start-ups on the platform – often for as little as £10 – and receive shares in return. It’s…
Making sense of the world
Jan Chipchase is the founder of Studio D Radiodurans, a consultancy that’s perhaps like none other in the world. He and his team travel to the far edges of the earth on behalf of clients to immerse themselves in difficult…
Eureka 48: Réard
In July 1946, a French automobile engineer turned fashion designer named Louis Réard invented a revealing two-piece swimsuit called the bikini. Réard created a company and made bikinis for decades until his death in the mid…
Vitsœ
In the world of high-end, long-lasting and much-loved furniture brands, Vitsœ is perhaps without rival. For more than 50 years, the company has manufactured and sold furniture designed by the legendary Dieter Rams. But how…
Eureka 47: Richard Reed
Richard Reed created the drinks brand Innocent with two university friends in 1999. Years later, after growing the company into a global phenomenon worth hundreds of millions of dollars, the three friends started JamJar…
Suitcase
How do you launch a thriving print magazine in the digital age? Serena Guen is the founder and CEO of Suitcase Group, a multimedia brand best known for travel and fashion-inspired quarterly ‘Suitcase’ magazine. Guen laun…
Eureka 46: Kwami Williams
Kwami Williams was raised in Ghana and studied aerospace engineering at MIT, where he worked with Nasa. On a trip back to his homeland he encountered the super-crop moringa. This launched him on an entrepreneurial journey…