The Entrepreneurs
A weekly deep dive into global business. Inspiring stories from startups to legacy brands in hospitality, design, fashion, and retail.
Latest Episodes
Ecobirdy
Designers Vanessa Yuan and Joris Vanbriel founded Ecobirdy in Antwerp in 2018, with the aim of creating high-quality furniture using nothing but recycled plastic. Monocle’s Tomos Lewis speaks to the duo about their award-winning design for children, the Charlie Chair, and their broader ambitions for the studio.
Eureka 292: Materialise
Fried Vancraen is the founder and CEO of Materialise, a company that uses additive manufacturing (3D printing) to develop meaningful applications that contribute to a better and healthier world.
Rehaus
Passionate about great design and interiors, Daphne Vassiliades co-founded Rehaus, an online platform dedicated to the resale of vintage pieces and designer furniture. She tells us about the importance of her collaboration with Shutl founder Tom Allason and e-comms veteran Will Cochrane, and offers her take on what makes a…
Eureka 291: Marufukuro hotel
We dive into Monocle’s latest issue and celebrate an innovative business built on the foundations of another. We visit the site of Nintendo’s former headquarters in Kyoto, where Marufukuro, a new hotel designed by the great Tadao Ando, has recently opened.
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…
