The Entrepreneurs
A weekly deep dive into global business. Inspiring stories from startups to legacy brands in hospitality, design, fashion, and retail.
Latest Episodes
Life House
Rami Zeidan founded Life House, a boutique hotel brand and hotel-management technology company, in 2017. He talks to Monocle’s Tomos Lewis about his ambitions for the company and explains why technology should not be disruptive but instead enhance what a hotel does best: making its guests feel welcome.
Eureka 290: Judy Sanderson
South Africa native Judy Sanderson initially had a career selling consumer goods for US multinational Procter & Gamble. But after deciding to pursue her dream of designing clothes, she founded her namesake fashion label in Porto 2019. The brand draws inspiration from Africa and manufactures clothes using the sustainable techniques…
Vuori
Inspired by California’s active, coastal lifestyle, Joe Kudla launched athletic clothing brand Vuori in 2015, aiming to blend the principles of ethical manufacturing, sustainability, community and quality. Here the CEO and founder shares the ups and downs of his career so far and tells us how Vuori secured major investment…
Eureka 289: Clearwater Parade
A collective of independent businesses in Cardiff has breathed new life into a retail format that many claim has had its day: the strip mall. Monocle’s Tomos Lewis explains the success of the Clearwater Parade collective.
Wol Hide
Leah D’Ambrosio founded small-line knitwear brand Wol Hide in Philadelphia in 2016. She discusses the benefits of keeping her company small, growing it incrementally and countering the fashion industry’s more environmentally intensive production practices.
Eureka 288: How can we help?
Monocle’s April issue features a fabulous retail survey, which celebrates some of the hottest shopping strips around the world and explores how they are bouncing back. This special edition of Eureka features a perfect case-study of real-world retail excellence: Erewhon, the innovative grocery shop that is now a fixture in…
Ampler
Urban-mobility innovators are operating in an increasingly crowded and competitive marketplace. So how do the best e-bike brands, particularly newer independents, ensure they make their mark? Meet the co-founder of one of the best in the particular business: Ardo Kaurit, CEO of Estonian e-bike brand Ampler. Despite coming from a…
Eureka 287: Bebe Organic
Children’s clothing label Bebe Organic was founded in 2014 by Birgit Kadak, a graduate of the London College of Fashion. Kadak spent her early years in the fashion industry working in luxury womenswear but after her first child was diagnosed with a sensitive skin condition, she began to research the…
Zen Running Club
The brand was founded in Amsterdam in 2020 with the goal of creating a truly sustainable running shoe entirely from plants. The resulting product, which is one of the few vegan-approved sports shoes on the market, is suitable for novices and experienced runners alike. Co-founder Dominic Sinnott and head of…
Eureka 286: Lacausa
Inspired by the climate of California, Rebecca Grenell founded her womenswear brand Lacausa in 2013. Manufactured at small, family-owned factories in Los Angeles, Lacausa’s range of thoughtful, ethically made clothing has become a staple in wardrobes around the world.
