The Entrepreneurs
A weekly deep dive into global business. Inspiring stories from startups to legacy brands in hospitality, design, fashion, and retail.
Latest Episodes
Ace Hotel
Brad Wilson is the president of the Ace Hotel group, which is set to open its latest property in Brooklyn’s Boerum Hill with a Toronto property soon to follow. The first Ace Hotel was founded in Seattle in 1999 by partners Alex Calderwood, Wade Weigel and Doug Herrick, and Wilson…
Eureka 246: Design Editions
Danish architect and industrial designer Mikal Harrsen founded interior-design brand Design Editions in 2019. Based in Brianza, the heartland of Italian furniture design, it produces premium acoustic panels and contemporary wall décor. Harrsen has found success as people retreated indoors during the pandemic and looked for ways to improve their…
Gelato
Henrik Müller-Hansen is the founder and CEO of Gelato. The Norwegian entrepreneur launched Gelato in 2014 to help companies print and manufacture things in local markets. It now has more than 100 production partners in 32 countries, creating books, prints and gifts, allowing brands, corporations and small-business owners to create…
Eureka 245: Jacaranda
Valerie Brandes is founder and CEO of Jacaranda, an independent UK-based publisher she launched in 2012. With the aim of bringing more diverse voices to market, Jacaranda and its writers have won multiple awards and the publisher recently secured several partnerships, including with Hachette and Audible, which will help to…
Tequila
Tequila is a booming business globally. This week we hear from two of the most exciting brands on the market, which are making waves with their award-winning spirits. Max Davies-Gilbert and Robin Clough walk us through the story of their brand Enemigo, which is stocked by the UK’s top hotels…
Eureka 244: Kankan
Eliza Flanagan and Mary McLeod are co-founders of Kankan, a soap and personal-care brand they launched in 2019 to promote the circular economy. Their soaps and body wash come in aluminum cans, a great way to curb the use of single use plastic soap bottles. McLeod previously worked in retail…
Patagonia and &Open
Patagonia has been known for decades as a leader in climate activism. This week, we catch up with Beth Thoren, the outerwear brand’s environmental action director, to hear about the initiatives she is spearheading in Europe. Plus: Monocle’s Josh Fehnert speaks with Irish entrepreneur Jonathan Legge to hear about &Open,…
Eureka 243: Nature Squared
Lay Koon Tan is the founder of Nature Squared, which uses natural materials in its luxury products such as car interiors, pens, homeware and furniture. Utilising manufacturing byproducts that would otherwise go to waste – including bamboo, egg shells, mango skins, feathers and tobacco leaves – Nature Squared has collaborated…
Blackrock
Frank Cooper III is the senior managing director and global chief marketing officer at Blackrock, the world’s largest asset manager. Cooper started his career as a lawyer for iconic music labels Def Jam and Motown, before moving into marketing with Pepsico and later Buzzfeed. Today he helps brands decode the…
Eureka 242: The New Craftsmen
In the second part of our feature on supporting artisans and makers, we meet Catherine Lock, who is co-founder and creative director of The New Craftsmen. The brand works with a range of top makers from across the British Isles, curating and supporting their work which is sold online and…
