Monocle 24: The Entrepreneurs

Timo Boldt is the co-founder and CEO of technology-cum-food business Gousto, one of the leading meal-kit providers in the UK. Since its launch in 2012 it has delivered more than 13 million meals and in March, off the back of strong growth, secured a further £28.5m (€32.4m) in funding to expand its reach and improve its technology. What’s cooking?

After making a name for herself designing bags for Puma, Virgin Atlantic, Microsoft and others, Jacqui Ma saw an opportunity to strike out on her own. In 2012, as a working mother who cycled everywhere, Ma noticed a lack of affordable and stylish bags on the market. And so Goodordering was born: manufacturer of colourful, practical and multifunctional bicycle bags for families and professionals.

Jen Rubio co-founded direct-to-consumer luggage company Away in 2016. She met business partner Stephanie Korey when the pair worked at eyewear venture Warby Parker; they took their experience and used it to disrupt an industry that they felt was stuck in a rut. With four shops across the US (and one coming to London), plus an exciting move to a new HQ in New York imminent, Away is well on its way.

Geoff Watts and Julia Fowler moved from Australia to London in 2009 to found retail-technology company Edited. Touted as the “Bloomberg terminal for fashion”, Edited uses big data and artificial intelligence to help some of the world’s biggest fashion retailers ensure their buyers make the right decisions. Today it has more than 100 staff spread across London, New York and San Francisco.

Brothers Taco and Ties Carlier founded the Dutch bike brand VanMoof in 2009 with the mission to reimagine how a bicycle can function in the cities of tomorrow. The slick electric bikes they design subtly integrate smart technology, such as a theft-defence system that includes a built-in alarm and an invisible lock. VanMoof now has shops in Amsterdam, New York, San Francisco, Berlin, London, Paris, Taipei and Tokyo.

Joe Taylor worked for a number of big companies in the consumer-goods sector, including Kellogg’s and Heinz, before striking out on his own. When training for an Ironman triathlon, he discovered that trail mix was a great source of fuel for endurance. In 2016 he launched Real Handful, a healthy snack brand with bold flavours and playful packaging, with his wife. Taylor talks to us about creating a better product and building the brand.

As we’re increasingly being told by serious researchers and popular science writers alike, a good night’s sleep is essential to our health and wellbeing. But it’s something Paul Efmorfidis has known for decades. The entrepreneur had an epiphany as a young man after he made a bed of seaweed in his native Greece and had the best sleep of his life. In 1989, he founded the mattress brand Coco-Mat to bring natural, sustainable and comfortable beds to the world. Today the company has shops in 17 countries.

For cities, corporations and drivers around the world, the future of the car is up for debate. The cost of congestion, pollution and infrastructure is increasingly taxing on citizens and their governments. For drivers, filling up is a chore that hasn’t changed much in 100 years since the launch of the first private cars. But start-up Zebra Fuel is hoping to shake things up. The company has developed a way to deliver cleaner fuel directly to car-owners and is working to develop technology to better deliver electric-vehicle charging. We meet co-founder and CEO Reda Bennis.

While fashion and philanthropy are finding common ground, it’s not often a brand or fashion retailer is set up specifically to benefit a charitable cause. But that’s exactly what entrepreneur Stacey Boyd has done with Olivela. The e-commerce platform carries more than 200 luxury brands, with 20 per cent of the proceeds of any product purchased going directly to partner charities to fund education for girls across the developing world.

Flexible, shared work spaces are in high demand around the world. But what about those looking for a more premium experience? Enter Stockholm’s No18. Launched by Michel Gordin in 2012, No18 now has two location in the Swedish capital, including one at the city’s Grand Central Station. Offering a professional atmosphere with all the comforts of a members’ club, No18 features meeting and event spaces, as well as a gym and a bistro. Now the company is taking its focus on work-life balance and the Swedish way of life across the Atlantic, with a new space opening in Atlanta.

Beauty and skincare brand Malin+Goetz launched in 2004. The simple elegant packaging, unisex products and approachable brand instantly caused a stir. Skincare expert Matthew Malin found nothing could calm his sensitive skin; Andrew Goetz – a self-confessed cosmetics philistine and former marketing director for Swiss furniture-maker Vitra – worked on the brand's look, and the company was born.

Composer Paul Schütze and husband Chris Rickwood set out to launch a perfume house four years ago, Paul Schütze Perfume. Their five fragrances are inspired by memory and architecture, and packaged in the Cotswolds.

This week we are taking a closer look at company culture and what it takes to build a thriving environment where people want to work. We’ll meet the entrepreneurs behind growing businesses who are leading by example.

Charlie Jardine is the founder of EO Charging, which designs and manufactures electric-vehicle charging points for homes, workplaces and destinations. After leaving university, Jardine bounced around jobs and internships in London before following his interest into the booming electric-vehicle industry.

Kasper Hostrup is the founder of Goods, a Copenhagen menswear shop that has garnered loyal clients worldwide thanks to its service, pared-back style and carefully thought-through collections. Goods opened as the global financial crisis hit but Hostrup weathered the storm and now the business is thriving. In this week’s episode, he speaks about what it takes to run a premium menswear store.