The Entrepreneurs
A weekly deep dive into global business. Inspiring stories from startups to legacy brands in hospitality, design, fashion, and retail.
Latest Episodes
Eureka 113: Yatay
When Umberto De Marco went looking for a pair of sustainable trainers and returned empty-handed, he made a decision: he would create the world’s first luxury sustainable sneaker brand. Little more than 50 years ago his father Enrico invented an eco-friendly synthetic-leather material. Coronet Group, the company that spun out…
Mentors
We assess the importance of business mentors. As anyone who has founded a company will know, having an experienced adviser who can lend advice and an ear during the tough times can be key. But it’s a two-way street: as an older entrepreneur you can learn a lot from having…
Eureka 112: Stella & Dot
Jessica Herrin is the founder and CEO of Stella & Dot, a San Francisco-based jewellery-and-accessories retailer built on what it calls a “social-selling” model. The company has reimagined direct sales for the digital age, engaging with tens of thousands of entrepreneurial women around the world who want to work flexibly…
Special episode: Finding investors
We’re in Paris talking to a group of experts and entrepreneurs about funding – how start-ups should go about securing it and what investors are really looking for.
Bremont watches
Giles and Nick English are the brothers behind UK watch brand Bremont. Both aviation enthusiasts, the co-founders launched the firm in 2002 and named it after a French farmer whose fields they once accidentally landed in during a foggy cross-Channel flight. Giles and Nick are passionate proponents of British engineering…
Eureka 111: Tend
Marco Abele is the founder and CEO of Tend, a Zürich-based digital platform focused on “life-enriching investment”. Driven by blockchain, Tend allows investment in luxury assets through co-ownership, such as shares in high-end sports cars, homes, vineyards and whiskey collections. Abele’s track record in finance means he knows how to…
Jo Malone CBE
Jo Malone CBE made her name – quite literally – as the eponymous entrepreneur behind her iconic perfume brand. A sensation in the 1990s, Malone later sold the brand to cosmetics giant Estée Lauder Companies. While she stayed on as creative director, she eventually left the business for good in…
Eureka 110: Poilâne
Apollonia Poilâne is a third-generation baker and CEO of the Poilâne bakery brand. While she was encouraged by her father to explore the world and pursue her passions, it’s in the bakehouse where she has always felt most at home, carrying on her family’s tradition. Under her guidance since 2002,…
Trakke
While on a summer break from university in Glasgow, keen cyclist Alec Farmer taught himself to sew. Setting out to craft the perfect bag, Farmer used discarded materials that he found around the city: and soon Trakke was born. It’s now a well-known maker of waxed-canvas bags and travel accessories…
Eureka 109: Ashley Watson
The son of an engineer and an artist, Ashley Watson has always had an understanding of both form and function. He spent years working as a designer before deciding to combine two of his great passions: clothing and motorbikes. In 2014 Ashley launched his eponymous brand, focusing on high-quality motorcycle…
