The Entrepreneurs
A weekly deep dive into global business. Inspiring stories from startups to legacy brands in hospitality, design, fashion, and retail.
Latest Episodes
The Mills Fabrica and Athletic Brewing Company
Christian Layolle is the UK head of The Mills Fabrica, which recently opened a new location in London’s King’s Cross. Aimed at bringing sustainable innovations to scale, it’s the long-awaited expansion of the Nan Fung Group’s business-incubator concept launched in Hong Kong in 2018. Plus: we head to Connecticut to…
Eureka 254: Swapfiets
Richard Burger, Martijn Obers and Dirk de Bruijn are the founders of Swapfiets, a full-service subscription bike company aiming to make travelling the city on two wheels hassle-free. The three founders met at the University of Technology in Delft and launched the company in 2014. For a monthly fee, Swapfiets…
Saint Ogun and Tickr
Nic Akinnibosun and Rico Oyejobi are the co-founders of Saint Ogun, a rum blended with spirits from five noted distilleries which celebrates the pair’s shared heritage and passions. Plus: we look at investment app Tickr with co-founder Tom McGillycuddy. The Certified B company has created a platform that allows people…
Eureka 253: Common Farms
Jessica Fong is the co-founder of Common Farms, a Hong Kong-based urban farm launched in 2017 that grows greens, herbs and edible flowers, supplying some of Hong Kong’s top restaurants and offering a home-delivery service. Its indoor vertical farming model is helping more people to eat fresh and local. Fong…
Polaroid and Petit Pli
Oskar Smolokowski is the chairman of Polaroid, the classic instant-photography brand that many thought was lost to time when its last film factory closed in 2008. Smolokowski and the Berlin-based start-up The Impossible Project not only revived the brand but have also created new cameras and film. Plus: aeronautical engineer…
Eureka 252: Loog Guitars
Rafael Artijas is founder and CEO of Loog Guitars. The three-string guitars made for children as young as three have become a regional hit in the Americas. Launched in 2011 by the Uruguayan music lover, every instrument comes with an app, flashcards and online lessons that get kids rocking from…
Oura
Harpreet Singh Rai is CEO of Oura, a Finnish company launched in 2013. Oura’s lightweight ring, which is designed to be worn all day, evaluates sleep and activity to give its wearer minute details about their health and wellbeing. Metrics such as heart-rate variability, respiratory rate and body temperature can…
Eureka 251: Nubocha
Katrina Smith and Gianluca Franzoni are the co-founders of Nubocha, a US-based company that has developed a healthy and delicious dairy-free gelato for the American market. Launched in 2018, the husband-and-wife team worked to develop an innovative recipe using high quality, sustainably sourced ingredients, including Italian hazelnuts and Ecuadorian cacao.…
Lick and Karana
Lucas London is CEO and co-founder of Lick, a UK-based home-décor brand launched in 2020, which makes paint, wallpaper and blinds. The company recently partnered with Made.com and is aiming to inspire more people to take on home renovations. Plus: Monocle’s Nina Milhaud speaks to Karana co-founder Blair Crichton about…
Eureka 250: Coco Shop
Taylor Simmons is the CEO of Coco Shop, a clothing brand which was first established on the Caribbean island of Antigua in 1949. The retail outpost became well-known to island residents and visitors alike for its patterned summer dresses and shirts. When the founders retired in 2017, the brand’s future…
