The Entrepreneurs
A weekly deep dive into global business. Inspiring stories from startups to legacy brands in hospitality, design, fashion, and retail.
Latest Episodes
Satellites over the Strait of Hormuz: space surveillance and maritime security
We meet Jarkko Antila, CEO of Kuva Space, a Finnish company using AI-powered satellites with hyperspectral cameras to monitor activity on Earth, from timely intelligence to detecting dark and stealth vessels at sea. He explains the company’s technology and its mission to launch more than 100 satellites by 2030.
Suite, suite music: How hotels can fine-tune atmosphere through sound and sensory branding
Former DJ and Music Concierge founder, Rob Wood, explains his approach to designing the sound of luxury brands worldwide, curating music for clients including Rosewood Hotels, Belmond and Cathay Pacific. Plus: Hôtel de l’Arcade’s Laetitia Brandariz-Berrut on managing three Parisian properties and flying the Swiss flag for hospitality in France.
From Uruguay to Moldova: why emerging wine regions are on the rise
Other co-founders Jack Blumsom and Gleb Petrenko discuss how they started a wine company championing less-explored regions after a fateful holiday in Georgia, one of the oldest wine-producing countries. Plus: how a trip to Kyoto inspired Italy native Silvia Mella to launch New York-based Japanese tea company Sōrate.
Dimitri Weber on Australia’s first luxury perfume house and the Kylie Minogue effect
Do brands down under need international approval before making it big at home? Dimitri Weber, founder of Australia’s first luxury fragrance house, Goldfield & Banks, talks about what businesses can learn from Aussie exports such as Kylie Minogue and Nicole Kidman. Plus: why the country is a surprising perfume powerhouse.
Knatchbull Savile Row’s CEO on bespoke tailoring for women and flying the British flag in fashion
Is there a new playbook for great, British brands? Founder Daisy Knatchbull shares the latest from Knatchbull, the first Savile Row shopfront exclusively for women. She discusses the importance of her global trunk shows and the brand’s ready-to-wear collection. Plus: Toby Gauvain on Gaudium, a new private-membership community.
Jim Rokos on dyslexia, design and why thinking differently is a competitive advantage
Luxury décor studio Rokos’s founder Jim Rokos talks about the creative advantages of dyslexia and why he sees it as an edge in designing his sculptural objects. Plus: How new work platform Vizzy caught the eye of job-hunters and clients such as Burberry, Tiffany & Co and Louis Vuitton.
How Kelluu’s UFO-like airships caught the eye of Nato and conspiracy theorists
Mysterious objects spotted over the Nordics have sparked speculation online but they’re not aliens. Kelluu co-founder Jiri Jormakka explains the technology behind the company’s hydrogen-powered autonomous airships and how they operate in GNSS-jammed environments near the Russian border. Plus: travel expert Maggie Draycott discusses her new venture, Club Aviator.
Belmond CEO Dan Ruff: LVMH told us to slow down and it worked
Belmond CEO Dan Ruff shares his journey from globetrotting foodie to leading one of the world’s most esteemed luxury travel brands. He explains why LVMH’s acquisition pushed Belmond to focus on desirability over growth. Plus: how childhood travel experiences at Disney’s Epcot and eating pasta in Venice shaped his career.
Chez Carrie: How an American beat French bureaucracy to open a chic Paris bistro
Michigan native Carrie Solomon talks about moving from the Midwest to Paris, her unconventional path into the French culinary scene and how returning to the kitchen led her to open a neighbourhood bistro while rebuilding her life after personal loss.
Have smart glasses finally grown up?
For many, smart glasses still carry baggage brought on by early flops in the space and more recent privacy concerns. Can they shed their bad reputation? Even Realities co-founders Will Wang and Nikolaj Schnoor outline their anti-camera, design-led approach and why clarity of vision could help to outmanoeuvre Big Tech.
