3 March 2017
09 minutes
Christian Lane’s foray into the world of entrepreneurship began with a folder for large documents, which he called the Foldio. He’s since gone on to make your kitchen a more connected place with his company Smarter, which introduced the world to the wi-fi kettle and new product FridgeCam. But how did he make the jump from paper to the ‘internet of things’?
3 March 2017
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 94: Amicable
Angel investor Pip Wilson sold her successful consultancy Bluefin in order to look for a new venture in tech. After a friend went through a difficult divorce, Wilson decided to set up Amicable, a platform that uses techn…
Career change
What does it take to say goodbye to a safe monthly salary and strike out on your own? This week we hear from company founders who left high-powered jobs to head off into the uncharted waters of entrepreneurship. First,…
Eureka 93: MetroNaps
Sleep expert Christopher Lindholst puts his success down to the fact that he frequently snoozes during the working day – and he’s not alone. His company MetroNaps builds and operates EnergyPods, the world’s first chairs…
Cubitts
Tom Broughton has always been an eyewear obsessive – ever since he started wearing glasses at the age of seven. In 2012 he began designing and making frames on his kitchen table, not to make money but out of sheer passion…
Eureka 92: Hill & Ellis
Catherine Ellis is the founder of Hill & Ellis, a London-based maker of handsome, handmade bike bags. As a cyclist herself, Catherine noticed both the growing popularity of cycling and the dearth of well-designed, beauti…
Xero
New Zealand-based Xero is a world-leader in accounting software. The cloud-based programme was designed to help small and medium-sized businesses manage their finances – a tedious and time-consuming task for any entrepre…
Eureka 91: Opticianado
Having tired of mass-market eyewear, optician Jordan Paul founded Opticianado, a Toronto-based shop specialising in vintage specs sourced from across the globe.
The Infatuation
Chris Stang is a co-founder of The Infatuation, a restaurant-discovery platform that has become the guide of choice for discerning diners across the US. Founded in 2009, the platform has just made headlines around the world…
Eureka 90: Kovalum
For lawyer-turned-designer Mark Johnson, the dream of launching a menswear brand was inspired by an anorak worn by his father in the 1960s. That ambition was realised in 2010 with the founding of Kovalum. While a modernised…
Matthew Corrin, Freshii
Matthew Corrin’s idea to create a brand around healthy eating has seen his business go from a single shop to one of the fastest-growing food franchises in the world. Corrin is the Canadian founder behind Freshii, a takeaway…
Eureka 89: Tala
Tala is a young British lighting brand with sustainability at its heart. Max Wood and Josh Ward, two of the three co-founders, explain why they decided to strike out on their own, talking us through how you build a succe…
How to rebrand
Breathing new life into a brand can be a difficult undertaking. From changing a logo, to overhauling the business focus, rebranding can make or break established names and struggling enterprises. We ask Pentagram’s Paula…
Eureka 88: Eric Brass
One-time banker Eric Brass explains the origins of Tequila Tromba, the Toronto-based premium tequila brand he co-founded in 2011.
Romée de Goriainoff, Experimental Group
Romée de Goriainoff is one of the three co-founders of Experimental Group, the French hospitality brand that launched Paris’s first proper cocktail bar and is now the name behind restaurants, bars and even hotels the world…
Eureka 87: Kroft Furniture
Dustin Kroft went from moving furniture to making and designing it in 2015, when he established his eponymous design studio in Toronto. He traces the journey of Kroft Furniture and his ambitions for the firm.
