The Entrepreneurs
A weekly deep dive into global business. Inspiring stories from startups to legacy brands in hospitality, design, fashion, and retail.
Latest Episodes
A cut above
A few years ago Aron Gelbard realised that the way we send and receive flowers was pretty inefficient. It usually begins with searching the internet for florists and ends with a knock at the door when the receiver is not at home. Aron and his friend Ben Stanway decided there…
Eureka 35: Thom Sweeney
Luke Sweeney and Thom Whiddett got their start in menswear, working for the bespoke-tailoring icon Timothy Everest. In 2007 they set off on their own to create much-loved brand Thom Sweeney. On their 10-year anniversary they tell us how they did it.
Brewed force
In the mid-1990s Australia-born Jasper Cuppaidge ended up in London after missing his connecting flight while on a surfing trip. Years later and still in London, he founded one of the city’s most famous and beloved beer brands, Camden Town Brewery, which he recently sold to much fanfare and controversy…
Eureka 34: Grant Ashton
Ashton spent 30 years in global finance and banking, running trade floors and working as a partner at a hedge fund. But the entrepreneurial itch struck and it came in the form of a wine case. He’s now the CEO of 67 Pall Mall, a members club for wine-lovers. He…
India’s new tech billionaires
Indian entrepreneur Bhavin Turakhia has been building technology start-ups with his brother Divyank since they were teenagers, beginning with a business loan of a few hundred dollars from their father. The two have recently been catapulted into the world of billionaires after selling part of their company Directi for $160m…
Eureka 33: Vahan Hovhannisyan
It’s an article of clothing that many people overlook but Vahan Hovhannisyan believes that socks are the world’s best conversation starter. Hovhannisyan is a co-founder of designer sock brand Look Mate, a company he brainstormed, built and launched with his brother while Hovhannisyan worked as an accountant for a luxury…
Giving back
French entrepreneur Alexandre Mars founded one of Europe’s first-ever web agencies, one of the world’s largest mobile marketing agencies and sold his social-media management company to Blackberry – but he’s now on a mission to add a dose of efficiency to the world of philanthropy. And he thinks he’s found…
Eureka 32: PJ Harrison
This is the story of PJ Harrison, an Englishman in Los Angeles who left behind a career in the creative industries to launch a football club, City of Angels FC, with his friend: the musician and entrepreneur Joe Sumner. Harrison explains how he got inspired and the lessons he’s learnt…
Farer
The global watch industry is going through tough times but amid the hand-wringing and alarmism you may have missed a more optimistic story: small independent brands are actually going through a renaissance. This week we focus on the journey of four London friends who pushed aside their day jobs to…
Eureka 31: Emma Wingfield
This week we hear the story of Emma Wingfield, a Brooklyn-based researcher, expert on West African art and co-founder of textile brand Five | Six. Along with her co-founder Laine Henry, the two collaborate with the weaving collective in Waraniéné, Côte d’Ivoire, to produce gorgeous ethically-made home-goods and bags. Wingfield…
