Monocle 24: The Entrepreneurs

We take a tour of Paris’s burgeoning startup scene, ask British singer-songwriter Lloyd Cole about the business challenges of the modern music industry, visit the legendary Olympic recording studios in West London that’s been remodelled into a new cinema, meet a Greek entrepreneur creating handmade eyewear from natural woods, ask one of the world’s wealthiest men how he rose from poverty to riches, and give craft beer a branding overhaul with our friends at Winkreative.

We meet two American entrepreneurs who think that Tunis is the new Beirut, head to the Pop Up Flea – a New York retail experiment that’s moved shop to London for the weekend. Plus, we visit a group of young entrepreneurs shaking up the way people save money in Jordan, tour Umami Mart – an Oakland, California store specialising in Japanese barware, chat with the man behind the ultimate Himalayan luxury experience, and give sportswear a branding overhaul with our friends at Winkreative.

We browse the Best of Britannia exhibition in London, meet the man behind Palo Alto-based start-up Sabi, and chat with the creator of a radical new instrument that re-imagines the piano.

We meet a Lebanese entrepreneur developing an app to keep citizens safe from sectarian strife, discuss the challenges of online curation with the CEO of web-based designer marketplace Boticca, visit a London wine shop that lets you sample iconic bottles on the cheap, and head to a Latin American media festival in Miami.

We’re in western Australia where one company hopes its new wetsuit will make swimmers less visible to sharks, we speak with Georg Riedel, 10th generation owner of Riedel glassware, head to Greece where two entrepreneurs have combined their love for the printed word with fresh espresso and snacks, tour Germany’s Eurobike show, and take the temperature of the Brussels tech scene.

Monocle’s transport editor hops on the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner from Oslo to New York and chats with the man behind Norwegian Air. We also explore the world of high-fidelity sound at London’s Audio Lounge, ask the chief of Longchamp for his top management tips, and give Australian outerwear brand RM Williams a branding overhaul with our friends at Winkreative.

On our 100th episode we discuss Prada and classic outerwear company Schott NYC, both founded in 1913. We also ask luxury impresario William Asprey how his family’s businesses have attracted customers for 200 years, talk business heritage with the CEO of 115-year old Filson and catch up with the man behind Louis XIV’s favourite candlemaker.

We visit three Americans in Berlin who are joining with the locals in a craft-brew revolution, head to Amman, which is quickly becoming the Arab world’s start-up capital, and speak with a fragrance entrepreneur who sources ingredients from Afghanistan.

We head to West Texas to meet the man making the world’s finest leather medicine balls, learn how to make the best use of empty commercial property, get a taste of the ice cream industry in Madrid, and test a new way of paying for food and drink.

We interview Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, meet the brothers behind Pacific Puffs in San Francisco, talk with investor Christopher Schroeder about the business promise of the Arab world, get a primer in intellectual property rights for young businesses, and give Diesel a branding overhaul with our friends at Winkreative.

We take a business tour of the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan, meet the woman who hopes to teach Chinese to a new generation, chat with two lawyers and dog-lovers in New York who used an unusual ingredient to launch a burgeoning business and talk city branding with our friends at Winkreative.

We talk with the man whose small publishing company has taken the literary world by storm, head to The Netherlands to meet the team hoping to build the world’s ethically produced phone, go hunting for hidden bank fees with the CEO of London startup TransferWise, and get investment tips from the founder of Nutmeg.com.

A look at the entrepreneurs of Kolomna, near Moscow, who hope traditional sweetmeats will regenerate their city. Plus, we visit Auckland to speak with the man behind a two-decade old alternative currency and check out a Danish school that’s taking business education to new heights.

A look at the entrepreneurs of Kolomna, near Moscow, who hope traditional sweetmeats will regenerate their city. Plus, we visit Auckland to speak with the man behind a two-decade old alternative currency and check out a Danish school that’s taking business education to new heights.

We head to Vanuatu for a tour of the sandalwood industry, visit a Spanish pop-up showcasing local manufacturing, test a new electric bicycle in Milan, and chat with the founder of cosmetics retailer Space NK.